Shadows On The Wall
by The Dragon's Scribe
Summary: Don has been watching Leo closely after the "Things Change" incident and has found his brother to be acting strangely. Who is Leo talking to in the dark hours? Don's only help to finding the truth comes from a shady character who saved his life and may even save his brothers. Loosely-based on SAINW.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Alright, if you're a new reader and you didn't read "Things Change", I highly suggest you read that first as there will be big time spoilers in this fic. Otherwise, please read, review, and enjoy. Please tell me what I need to improve on as well! This fic will be more centralized on the brothers and not on any specific "enemy".**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT nor any characters associated with them except for my OCs.**

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The darkness seemed to reign king in the newly refurbished pumping station. The walls consisted of dark blue-gray bricks and in some places were covered by bookshelves. A man-made waterfall streamed underneath a raised platform and into a great pool that flooded out into the surface world. The platform was clear and open underneath a high ceiling on which, flood lights ran parallel to the ground in straight lines. The lights however, were off, and, only the brief flicker of light from a large television chose to fight the dark. In the flickering glow of the TV, there was a large pale blue couch that looked as if it had seen many years. A tall and lanky green figure was sprawled on the couch, pointing a remote at the television. The purple mask he wore was faded and torn at the edges. A bored expression was heavily etched on his gentle features as he continued changing the channels and looked for a good documentary.

A blur of orange and white fur bounded onto his bare plastron and Donatello chuckled as he gave the kitten an affectionate scratch behind the ears. He smiled as the kitten yawned and curled up on his plastron for a nap. Don watched the orange ball of fur fall asleep. He sighed and relaxed. It hadn't been this calm in a long time. What with all that had happened recently, he was glad for the small moment. He frowned in memory of the recent turn of events and sighed in resignation as he gave in to his overactive mind. Klunk turned to him with a look that seemed to say 'either talk or let me sleep'.

Don smiled slightly and stroked her fur gently. "Alright, Klunk, I'll talk." He said with a chuckle.

"A few months ago, Leo went out on the surface, and he was captured and tortured by the Shredder," Don began, pausing and wondering why he wanted to tell this brutal story to Mikey's cat. He sighed. "I'll just get it out of my system." He thought to himself. "When Raph, Mikey and I went to rescue him, we found both him and the Shredder both severely burned and unconscious on the Foot Tower's rooftop garden. We brought Leo back home, but, we made a huge mistake in doing that. We didn't know it, but, Leo wasn't… himself. Somehow, Leo and Shredder had "swapped minds". Raph and I came back to the lair one day to find… to find Master Splinter dead. We later found out that it was Leo who killed him, the Leo who was not our brother. He wormed his way into destroying our family. It would have worked, but our real brother who was trapped in Shredder's body, brought Karai and an army of Foot ninja to the lair. There was a bloody battle, and our imposter-brother attempted to kill Mikey. The real Leo jumped in the way and everything seemed to stop for a second, just before they began a duel to the death. It seemed they were at a stalemate, but, they both crashed into my lab equipment and were electrocuted. I can only assume that that was when they were sent back to their original bodies." Don continued as he stroked Klunk's soft fur.

"Then, my brothers were hell-bent on thinking that the Shredder was still in my own body." A darker voice continued. Don jumped and turned to spot Leo leaning on the edge of the couch. A rough patch of jagged brownish skin covered his left cheek and the right eye-hole on his mask was sewn shut. A dismal expression was etched on his features. Don swallowed. "How long were you listening?" He asked.

Leo shrugged, his one visible hazel eye held Don's reflection. "Long enough to hear enough," He answered cryptically. Don looked away guiltily; he knew his brother hated talking, hearing, and even thinking about what had happened. Leo leaned over and jabbed a finger into Don's bicep. "Well you already started the train to hell; you can't just pull on the brakes and expect to stop it." He said.

Don stared up at him confusion. "But you always," Don began with a confused expression. Leo waved it off and vaulted over the couch to sit on the left side of his brother. Don rose to a sitting position, gently moving Klunk onto his lap. "There's no point in putting it off, Don. Just continue. I'm sure Klunk wants to know what happened, seeing as she was smart enough to hide out during the entire mess." Leo yawned; there was a heavy dark circle under his eye. Don sighed in defeat.

"We were wrong. I was wrong. We had planned to execute Leo, though we thought he was the Shredder. However, both of them escaped us. Mikey was faster than either Raph or I, so we were left behind while our baby brother ran ahead. By the time we caught up to Mikey, it was nearly too late. He was seriously wounded and would have been dead if not for Leo who was fighting both Karai and the Shredder off. The two ran off when they realized we outnumbered them, not to mention that the Shredder was extremely wounded at the time."

"His arm was nothing but a bloody stump, if that's what you meant." Leo cut in, wrapping his fingers around his own right arm. Don glanced at him and nodded slowly.

"I checked Mikey's vitals and I knew his heart was dying," He said, turning his gaze back down to Klunk who stared up at him with huge yellow eyes. "That was when Leo gave him his heart. Raph ran off to the Foot Tower to search for an artificial heart for Leo and met Tenjin, a ninja loyal to Leo. Tenjin guided Raph to Stockman's lab, where Raph found what he was looking for, and, got him out of the tower safely. I placed the heart in Leo and both of our brothers recovered." Don told the kitten. She mewed as if to say: "The end?"

Leo turned his gaze to the kitten. "It was far from over, Klunk. I left the lair with Tenjin to find us a safer home, but, Karai attacked. She killed Tenjin's brother and kidnapped Raphael. I went after her to bring him back safely."

Don glanced at Leo. "Though it was Tenjin who actually brought him home," He continued quietly. Leo's hazel eye snapped up to meet his. They were both silent for a moment.

"I killed the Shredder while Tenjin brought my brother home." Leo stated, turning his gaze to the flickering television. "The end," He said with a rough and dark tone.

Don glanced at him. "There was something off about Leo when he came back… Something different… Something dark. He was also carrying something in a black garbage bag. Whatever it was, he hid it from us very well." Don thought to himself as he patted Klunk gently. "A lot has changed in the past few months." He thought silently. He glanced at Leo and stared at his one visible hazel eye. Don had come up with many hypotheses as to how Leo had lost his right eye, but he figured they were all wrong. He had just known that Leo had disappeared for a few days after Raph's return, and when he did come back, his mask was already tailored to hide his right eye.

"You never told us how you lost your eye." Don found himself saying before he could stop himself. Leo slowly turned to regard the purple-masked turtle; the right side of his mask was now visible. Leo remained silent for a moment. "In my last battle with the Shredder, he gouged it out with his thumb while my tanto found its way through the gaps of his armor." Leo stated, not hiding a single gruesome detail from Don. He then loosened the knot that tied his mask and it dropped to rest on his collar bones. Don forced himself not to heave up his dinner at the sight.

Leo's right eye was nothing but a pulpy mass of dark violet red flesh. His eye had indeed been gouged out and left nothing but an empty socket. Leo's hazel eye contrasted intensely with the empty socket. If Don had been Mikey right then and there, he probably would have "freaked out". Instead, Don swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded to Leo. "I can see why you wouldn't want to tell us." He said calmly as the scientist in him took over.

Leo simply shrugged and relaxed against the couch, turning his head so that Don would not be plagued by the horrific wound. Leo stared at the television with a blank expression. Don turned to see what Leo was so keenly staring at and blanched. "Um… Leo?"

"Yes, Don, that is a pornographic movie that is playing on the screen."

Don felt a chill creep into his shell. "Well… would you… would you mind if I changed it to something else?"

Leo snorted. "You're wondering if I get off on this, don't you?"

Don blinked. "Well… um, Leo… We're turtles… Not humans… and," He trailed off, rambling about the differences between human and turtle reproductive systems. Leo felt a headache coming on and he replaced his mask before standing up and starting to walk off into the inky depths of the pumping station. "Wait, Leo, don't you," He began, peering over the edge of the couch. Leo just waved him off and continued onwards. "Go to sleep, Don, I could see the dark circles under your eyes."

Don sighed as he turned the television off. Leo was right in that Don needed sleep, though he was being quite the hypocrite. Don knew for a fact that his older brother hadn't slept in a few days. He leaned back to lay on the couch and Klunk cuddled up close onto his plastron. Don yawned deeply and his eyes began to close. "I'll just take a short nap." He murmured.

~.~.~.~

Leo, with stiff shoulders and deep breaths, paced furiously in the open area that had become the dojo. His mask was splotched with faint crimson spots. A tired and angry look was etched upon his features. The talk with Don had done nothing to ease him about the past. If anything, he was even angrier afterwards. The memories of his dead father were too fresh to be spoken of, like a wound that kept opening. He stopped suddenly and clenched his hands into fists.

"I don't care how long ago it was." He hissed angrily.

_Oh, but you fail to recognize that I care now, Leonardo. He may have been my sworn enemy, but he was a skilled ninja… although too kind-hearted. That is why he died._

Leo snarled angrily at the voice in his head. "If I could kill you again, I would make it so much more painful and slow." He growled. The grating voice in his head laughed.

_You cannot change the fact that I killed your sensei. Neither can you remove my presence from your mind. We were melded together after our journeys through each others' bodies._

"I don't need you to re-explain your existence in my head. I heard it before I killed you, Shredder, and I still hear it after your death. Either you were right, or I've gone insane." Leo snapped.

_Lower your voice before someone hears you._

Leo gritted his teeth but he did quiet down. "What would you care if I was caught 'talking with myself'?" He breathed angrily.

_I would rather not have my carrier's freedom or reign of movement impeded or reduced to nothing._

Leo opened his mouth to reply but clamped it shut and whirled about at the sound of light footsteps. His hazel eye framed the slim but muscular figure of a human approaching him at an easy pace. The human was clothed in dappled gray and there was a dark patch on his shoulder where a crimson Foot symbol was removed from the stitching.

"Leonardo," He greeted softly with a slight bow. The turtle bowed in turn. "Tenjin," He returned. They both rose and remained silent for a moment. Tenjin stared at Leo all throughout the silence. The turtle itched uncomfortably under the scrutiny while an intense anger boiled deep inside of him. He slowly looked away.

"Have you told you brothers of the nightmare, yet?" Tenjin asked.

Leo froze at that and shot Tenjin a fierce glare. "By 'nightmare' you are referring to the memories that the Shredder left in his wake," He snarled. It wasn't a question. Leo had been receiving many 'flashbacks' of memories that the Shredder had left in his body, among them was the memory of his father's murder. The turtle was none too happy to have such recollections.

Tenjin nodded, although his eyes narrowed under his mask. Leo tensed furiously. "Why would I have told them about _that_?" Leo growled. "I swore not to speak of it with your brothers, but, I figured _you_ would have told them about these memories of yours." Tenjin spoke. Leo was suddenly inches away from Tenjin's face, a dark and angry mask had taken over his usually serene features. "They are not _mine_. I did not commit the atrocities that I have seen. I did not record them into my head. They were already there!" Leo snarled. The human met Leo's glaring gaze. "Leonardo, I would advise you to calm down. You are beginning to anger me." Tenjin spoke calmly, although there was an edge to his voice. Leo drew back slowly. "Anger? You know nothing of anger, Tenjin." He hissed.

Tenjin glared at him. "Obviously, you are upset or in pain over your father. Perhaps, you should grieve and recover as your brothers did."

"Hypocrite. You still cry over your brother's death." Was the angry response Tenjin received. Tenjin froze at that. "Take it back. Take that back right now."

Leo laughed in ill humor. "It's perfectly fine for you to chastise me about my father's death, but when it's about your brother, everything changes."

Tenjin unsheathed a wakizashi quickly. "My brother's death was not twisted by delusion, Leonardo!" He shouted angrily.

_He really thinks you're making it all up, Leonardo._

Leo's katana hissed as it exited the scabbard. "Delusion? You've no clue as to what demons I have to fight to remain rational." He hissed as he ran forward.

Tenjin tensed and their blades met with a loud clang and flying sparks. Tenjin froze as he caught sight of the coldness and darkness in Leo's one hazel eye. It was then that Tenjin remembered who Leonardo was underneath his fears of his memories. It was then that Tenjin deeply regretted what he had said.

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Don sprung up quickly as another clanging noise echoed in the pumping station. He snatched his bo staff from the floor next to the couch and sprinted towards the sound. He skidded to a stop as he made out two shadowy forms leaping about and slashing wildly at each other with glinting blades. Don's eyes narrowed and he managed to make out Leo's mask tails as well as Tenjin's dappled gray cloak. He froze in surprise at that. "Why are they fighting?" He thought to himself. Tenjin and Leo were close, having bonded in many battles on the surface. They had been with each other through the worst. "Maybe they're sparring…" Don thought, but he could tell from the extreme screeching and clanging of metal on metal that they were not.

He turned at the sound of footsteps to spot Mikey and Raph sprinting towards him. Don turned his gaze back to the two combatants. Suddenly blood sprayed wildly and there was a screech of pain. Both Leo and Tenjin froze. Suddenly a bright light came on, blinding everyone. Don squinted through the brightness, turning to spot Mikey with his hand on the light switch and a look of horror upon his round features. Raphael stood next to him on the dark concrete that covered the floor and stared past Don.

The purple masked turtle turned slowly, catching sight of Leo and Tenjin standing eerily still with stunned expressions. Leonardo's katana blade was coated in a thin sheen of blood. Tenjin looked at his body, but there were no visible wounds. He turned his head to look down, following Leo's stunned gaze. Lying in a bloody mess was a matted orange ball of fur. Don's breath was caught in his throat.

Leo turned his gaze to his katana and then to his youngest brother who still stood frozen by the light switch. Raph, however, moved forward quickly, and in an eye blink he was standing between Leo and Tenjin. Raphael gripped Leo's wrist in a vice and his face was but an inch from Leo's. "What the hell did ya' do?" He snarled heavily, struggling to speak clearly. Leo's face was detached and his one eye roved to meet Raphael's amber gaze. He remained silent. Raph growled and his grip on Leo's wrist tightened, threatening to break the bones.

Tenjin sheathed his wakizashi and took a step back. Don's staff however, jabbed him painfully in the side. Tenjin held his hands up and shook his head. "I beg for your forgiveness, Donatello, I lost myself to my anger." He said in defeat. Don approached the ninja and his gaze flicked aside as more ninjas melted out of the shadows and behind Tenjin. There were seven ninjas behind Tenjin, all standing with their hands hovering over their weapons.

Raph moved to stand next to Don, his hands resting on his sais. Leo still stood in place. Tenjin turned to Leonardo. "I bid you a warning, Leonardo. Do not become the one that you slew. Do not let your rage temper you." He spoke clearly before turning to Raph and Don. "I deeply apologize for my actions. My brethren and I shall take our leave."

Mikey numbly approached the corpse of his kitten, passing both Don and Raph. He dropped onto his knees next to the dead kitten and tears streamed from his eyes. Leo watched with a cold detachment before turning his gaze to Tenjin.

The two nodded. "That would be for the best." Don said stiffly with a glance at his crying brother and the stiff Leo. Tenjin nodded and both he and his brothers fled the scene, melting into the shadows and disappearing. Don and Raph turned to Leo.

"That doesn't excuse you from what you did, Leo. What the hell were you thinking?" Don spoke with a glance at the bloody form of Klunk. Leo slid his katana back into its sheath, not bothering to clean the blood from the blade. Leo took in a deep breath, gathering his composure. "I lost myself. Tenjin… he… he just made me extremely angry and I didn't see Klunk…" Leo sighed in regret. He knelt down next to Mikey and placed a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. Mikey flinched away from the contact but he didn't meet Leo's eyes. The older turtle froze and released a breath before standing and walking away.

"Hey, where the hell are ya' goin'?" Raph snarled after him. Leo ignored his brother and continued, eventually melting into the shadows. Don turned to Raph and shook his head. "Don't go chasing after him. He needs to cool down. Right now, let's try to handle this." Don said, gesturing to the crying Mikey and the bloody form of Klunk.

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**A/N: As there was always a confusion on Klunk's gender, I decided to go female as it will fit better with what I plan on going for. Anyways, please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Alright, as promised, I have delivered the weekly update! Yay! Anyways, I hope I'm writing a good Don, I was never really good at writing him. Tell me what I need to improve on, please!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT or any other characters associated with them except for my OCs.**

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Don plunged his wooden spoon into the gooey mass of oatmeal in front of him with a heavy sigh. He glanced up at Mikey's sober expression. Don frowned at the sight of his unusually solemn younger brother. He mixed the oatmeal about with his spoon as he returned his gaze to the grayish mush. Both he and Raph had spent an hour cleaning Klunk's blood off the floor while Mikey had sat sulking in a corner. They had boxed up Klunk's remains and asked Mikey if he wanted to go with them to bury the kitten, but he refused to even acknowledge them. They had then proceeded to make a run to the surface where they buried the kitten in a park. Neither of the two brothers had spoken to each other throughout the task. By the time they had returned to the new lair, the sun had risen and Mikey had calmed down enough to sit with Don and Raph for some breakfast.

Don and Mikey now sat at a rickety wooden dining table, neither wanting to eat the mushy and pasty bowls of stomach-sickness-waiting-to-happen that sat steaming before them. Don glanced behind him to see Raph at work on the stove against the wall and wearing an apron that said: "Quit your bitching and eat" in bright bold red letters. A great fluffy white chef's hat sat on his head. Don rolled his eyes and turned back to his meal, churning the bowl of vomit-inducing-oatmeal with his spoon. After Raph's mutant genes had healed his tongue (which was burnt by a red-hot coal while he was captive in the Foot tower), he had realized the joy of food. Now no one could stop the red-masked terrapin from cooking, and, they had learned to not complain about charred food or any other negative notion concerning Raph's cooking.

Don glanced at the clock near the stove and sighed once more. It was ten in the morning and Leo was still gone. Raph turned at the sound of the sigh, adjusting his pristine chef's hat as he did so. His eyes narrowed at the sight of both Don and Mikey staring dejectedly at the food he had so painstakingly crafted. "Oi! Eat yer' food!" He barked at them. The two turtles jumped in surprise with wide eyes. The wooden spoon flew from Don's hand and seemed to spin end over end in slow motion as the three turtles watched it sail through the stale air of their home.

It was at that most opportune moment that Leo calmly stepped into the kitchen, melting out of the shadows with ease, and the spoon whacked him in his good eye with an audible _smack_.

"Ow!" He cried out in surprise as he clutched his eye. The wooden spoon clattered onto the floor, spilling bits of rancid oatmeal with each bounce. Leo blindly took a step forward and immediately regretted it as his foot slid on a slippery puddle of oatmeal. He hit the ground on his shell with a _thump_. Leo groaned and rolled onto his plastron.

The other three turtles stared, still in shock of the suddenness of their brother's appearance and his lack of grace. Don bit his lower lip to stop the snicker that attempted to exit his mouth, trying to hide his obvious amusement. Raph laughed outright, slapping his knee in exaggeration. Mikey, still quite solemn, could not stop the small smile that eased itself onto his features.

Leo slowly stood and removed his hand from his eye, knowing that it would quickly swell into a black eye. He turned his gaze to the lumpy oatmeal before his brothers and then to Raphael. "Your cooking has sinister intentions for me." He commented, referring to an incident in which Raph had made scrambled eggs that had made Leo sick for three weeks; the older turtle had then remarked to his red-masked brother: "How do you screw up eggs?" Raphael shrugged at Leo's comment. "Yer' too much of a lightweight. Mikey an' Don neva' complained 'bout m'cooking."

Leo rolled his eye as he bent over to retrieve the spoon. He stood and tossed it into the sink next to the stove before taking a seat next to Don at the dining table. Raph turned back to the stove and the silence quickly returned. Leo's half-smile faded quickly and, when he looked at Mikey, the younger turtle avoided his gaze. Don sighed again and dropped his gaze to the oatmeal in front of him. The uncomfortable silence began pressing in on them. Leo chose to ignore it and instead he began studying his leather wrist guards as he leaned back in the wooden chair.

"Casey called earlier." Raph said, breaking the silence. He kept his gaze on the pot in front of him as he stirred with a large ladle. All eyes turned towards him.

"He wants t'know if wanna go t'his farmhouse for the weekend. Him an' April are getting' married soon, so they ah' wanna' spend some time wit' us b'fore the weddin'." Raph continued, still stirring.

Leo's hazel eye gently drifted over to Don, who shifted uncomfortably. Don's coffee brown gaze met the older turtle's, and there was an unspoken plea from those brown eyes. Leo knew how Don had felt—still felt—about April. He and the purple-masked turtle had spoken about it on numerous occasions and it was concluded that Don could not pursue his emotions. It was too complicated to engage in any sort of romantic relationship with a human. With the engagement of April and Casey, Don had been nearly torn apart and Leo had spent many days consoling the heartbroken genius. Leo gave Don a heavy stare before turning to Raph. His gaze hovered on Mikey for a second, and he immediately regretted it. He froze in place, staring as his baby brother stared back. The look on the younger turtle's face haunted him and though he fought to tear his gaze away, he could not. Mikey's eyes were wet and his lip quivered as he mouthed "please" more times than Leo could count.

A stab of guilt seeped into Leo's conscience at the sight. "He really cared about Klunk…" He thought to himself, shivering as the chill of guilt crept under his shell.

_He cares more about a cat than he does about you._

"Shutup." Leo thought sharply at the voice. He turned his gaze to Raphael, who was now setting aside the ladle. The cook turned and leaned against the countertop.

"So, how d'ya guys feel 'bout it?"

"Let's go." Mikey said quickly, lacking his usual luster.

"We still have a lot of work to do around the lair…" Don ventured.

Raphael shrugged. "I'm all for it, but I ain't fer' goin' unless we all go." He glanced at Leo who had remained silent during the exchange. "What about you, Leo?"

All eyes turned to Leo now. Don bit his lip, hoping that Leo would say no. The eldest brother sighed and gave Raphael a sidelong look. "Sure." He replied, glancing to the youngest turtle as Mikey's face lit up at his answer. Don froze in shock and glared at Leo. He stood up from the table. "I'll be in the shower." He said, dismissing himself while ignoring the venomous glare from Don.

~.~.~.~.~

Don shut the door to his new lab with an eerie creaking sound, plunging the lab into darkness. His computers were off and anything else that might have glowed had been shut off. Don blindly made his way through the darkness, towards a rolling chair that sat before a flat metallic desk. He dropped down into the chair heavily and felt about the flat desk. He flicked a switch and an eerie yellow glow from a desk-lamp slowly buzzed to life, illuminating him and his workspace. A multitude of messily-scrawled-on paper littered the desk and a space had been cleared out in the area in front of Don. In the cleared space there lay a small black book bound in hard cover. Its pages seemed to have yellowed from age and its spine was wrinkled as if it had been open to certain pages for long periods of time. Don's gaze fixated on the book and he tentatively reached a hand out to lay it on the cover. He rested his hand there for a moment before slowly opening it.

The book creaked as if it were in pain from the movement. Small clouds of dust drifted free from the yellowed pages as the paper settled. Don's gaze hovered over the image that had been taped to the page in front of him. He gently placed his hand on the photograph of a pale woman with green eyes and crimson hair. She wore a purple shirt and sat next to a purple masked terrapin. They were sharing a pizza and laughing. Don's hand rested upon it for a moment before he angrily tore the photograph from the page in a swift motion, ripping and ruining the image.

He stood, tossing the torn photo on the desk and ripping the book off of the desk. He hurled the tome at a wall where it hit and fell to the ground, spilling onto its pages and wrinkling them more than they already were. Don yanked a drawer open and removed a lighter from the contents of the drawer. He paused as he held the lighter over the ruined photograph. His brows furrowed and he pulled the trigger of the lighter as the mouth of it was pressed against the corner of the photo. A bright but small flame burst into life from the mouth of the light and flicked gently over the image. Suddenly, the little flame spread across the photograph. The corners of the photo began to curl and glowed bright orange along the edges as the flames tugged on them. The photograph writhed and twisted and curled upon itself as the flames danced across it in an empathetic fervor.

Don watched calmly, an orange glow reflected in his eyes as the flames swallowed the photo quickly. A shadow seemed to shift in the corner of Don's eye. He whirled about, mask tails fluttering gracefully as his eyes darted about the room. He could sense_ something_ in the dark, though, he could not see it. He shivered despite the warmth of the flames behind him. He stiffened as a wave of coldness washed over him and a breath of freezing air blew in his face. Don swallowed a lump in his throat. He couldn't see, smell, or hear anything, but, _something_ was there. Something was breathing right in his face. He could feel it.

Don stared at the darkness, but not even his ninja trained eyes could make out whatever it was that was right in front of him. He reached back blindly for the lamp. Sudden burning pain flared through his hand as it brushed over the still hot embers of the photograph behind him. He snatched his hand from the embers with a howl of pain. Don shook his hand as he breathed through tightly clenched teeth.

The door to his lab slammed open and light flooded through the open doorway and into the room. A silhouette stood in the door frame, two katana hilts rising from his shoulders. A worried expression was fixed on his face. Leo's hazel eye drifted from Don to the smoldering pile of ash and embers that was the photograph. His worried expression disappeared as he met Don's gaze. There was a moment of silence as they stared at each other.

"Is your hand okay?" Leo finally said, breaking the silence that had settled in on them. Don's eyes narrowed but he kept himself civil. "Yes. No thanks to you." Don said calmly, referring to the earlier conversation and the decision to visit April and Casey.

Leo folded his arms across his plastron as he leaned against the doorjamb. "I thought you were entirely healed, considering the lecture you gave me last night… unless you'd like to admit that you're being a hypocrite?" Leo replied candidly. Don bit his lower lip and turned about, ignoring Leo's taunt.

"I have work to do."

"I'm sure you do, so, I'd suggest that you pack it up or leave it here. We're leaving in thirty minutes."

Leo then turned, closing the door. Don remained silent, staring at the ashes upon his desk. He glanced aside. He could still feel that _something_.

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**A/N: Please review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay, here's another chapter, yay... nom nom nom. Anyways, I almost didn't finish this on time! I was actually working on an essay earlier :3 I had pre-written most of this, so it was manageable.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT nor any other characters associated with them with the exception of my OCs.**

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The pale snow crunched under the tires of a battered old van as it pulled into the driveway of an old wooden house that towered over the snow covered landscape. The van shuddered as its driver killed the engine. The sun, still hiding behind thick clouds, was only just rising above the horizon and would only cast dim and muffled light over the frigid landscape. The trees that surrounded the farmhouse, and made up the dense pine forest, were caked in snow and ice. The sliding doors to the van rigidly skated open on a frozen track. Two muscular figures stepped out of the van, followed by one more. The fourth figure stood hunched over in the van and began handing bags off to the other three.

The front doors to the old farmhouse opened and a fair-skinned and red-haired woman stepped into the cold air. Her bright green eyes shone even in the dim light. She huddled in a heavy gray coat; a bright green scarf was wrapped about her slender throat while her black gloved hands tugged at the edges of her coat. Her crimson hair was neatly tied back in a bun. Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink as a light breeze shifted a chill of air at her. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the figures by the van and her hand shot up into the air as she shouted happily. "Guys!" She cried out happily.

The three outside of the van turned about at the sound of her voice. She ran forward, down the wooden steps and onto the snow, her booted feet left light prints in the snow behind her. She wrapped her arms around the nearest figure and he embraced her gently before releasing her. His red mask tails fluttered as yet another breeze breathed a chill upon the winterscape. His amber eyes darted back towards the open doors of the farmhouse, the wooden building was grayed with age and the wood seemed to have been worn by the elements. Another human form, heavily clothed as well, began the short walk towards the van, the wood of the steps creaked under his weight. April embraced Mikey and moved onto Don, not noticing the subtle shift that the purple masked turtle had taken in order to avoid as much contact with her as possible. He stood stock still as she gently embraced him. The scent of her lilac-scented-shampoo swarmed him as did the gentle warmth that radiated from her body. He awkwardly lifted a hand to pat her back and suddenly her hold on him was gone. He hid his relief with a nervous smile, though he grimaced as she turned her back to him.

"Where's Leo?" She asked with a cursory glance about.

The blue masked terrapin casually stepped out of the van, right in front of her. His face was hardened like a mask of iron. April gasped at the sight of his scarred face and instinctively took a step back. Leo's one hazel eye bored into with a calm acceptance. Her green eyes darted wildly over his features, studying the scars on his features. They traced over the intense burnt patch of skin on his cheek and then to the sewn shut right eye of his mask. She could barely make out discolored flesh under the edges of the mask.

"What happened to you?" She whispered. Leo's eye remained staring deep into her. He stood silently, his hazel gaze was piercing and it seemed to stab through her as easily as one of his katanas could.

"The Shredder," Raph cut in. April's eyes widened at that and her eyes darted to the grim faced Leonardo. He seemed to cringe slightly at that but made no move to speak or embrace her as his brothers had. Donatello stared at her horror stricken expression as he tensed, expecting Leo to say something threatening.

"Yo guys!" A deep male voice called and all eyes turned to regard the speaker.

Casey approached, clothed in ragged jeans and a navy blue windbreaker. His wild raven-blue hair cascaded onto his broad shoulders while his bright blue eyes sparkled in response to the grin that was plastered on his chiseled features. He waved with a gloved hand as the snow crunched under his sneakers. He bumped fists with Raph and moved to do the same with a dour faced Mikey until he spotted Leo. He paused; staring at the blue masked terrapin's scarred features. Leonardo's hazel eye flicked towards and his gaze bored into Casey much like it had with April. He stared past the human and at Don. The purple masked turtle's face had hardened and his usually serene features had been drawn into a tense and extremely forced smile.

"I'll just put my luggage up. I need to take care of a few things." Leo said as he shouldered a mottled brown duffel bag, breaking the silence that had settled over the group. He made his way through them and towards the house, his mask tails fluttered gently behind him.

Casey shook his head quickly. "Wait a minute. What happened to your face? Oh and where's Master Splinter?" He asked loudly, the latter to all of the assembled turtles. Leo froze, dropping his bag with a soft thud into the snow. He quickly picked up the bag and hurried into the house, failing to pretend he hadn't heard Casey's questions. The other three turtles were frozen by the sudden and painful question while Casey stared at them in ignorance. April smacked the back of his head with a stern frown. He ducked his head and rubbed the now sore spot. He shot her a look as if to say "what did I do?"

"It's a long story… but, the Shredder did that t'Leo's face… and he… killed… our father." Raph sighed. "Leo didn't tell us much 'bout his experience, but, we think we know how it went down from what he _did_ tell us. We'll tell ya' what happened, but, we should probably get settled down first. It's a really long story."

Don glanced at the red masked terrapin. "You and Mikey will have to explain it; I still need to finish encoding the security program." Don dismissed himself, grabbing onto his bags and breaking away from the group to disappear into the farmhouse.

"Hey, Don! You want me to help you with writing the codes?" April called after him. Don tensed and slowly looked back with his forced smile. "No, but thanks, I can handle it." He spoke with a shake in his voice before turning back to the house, hiding his torn expression before she could notice.

~.~.~.~.~

Don sat at his laptop in the darkness of the basement, extremely relieved to be away from both April and Casey. The glow from the laptop's screen illuminated his tired features as he tapped the keys. His worn gaze scanned the screen with methodic preciseness. He leaned back, ignoring the creaking of the wooden chair. He glanced at the clock on his desktop and frowned with a glance in the direction of the stairs that led out of the basement and onto the ground floor. He turned back to his laptop and tapped something into the keyboard with a sense of finality. The laptop hummed as it processed the information Don had inputted. It uttered a single note that forced Don to narrow his eyes at the device. He leaned over the keys as he scrutinized the screen.

"What the hell…" He muttered as he saw the error in his coding. Instead of entering the proper code that would have ended the trigger portion of the program, there was a mash of random but clearly angry words on the screen. Don muttered a curse under his breath as he leaned back with his hands on his head. He sat staring at the screen for a long while; the only movement was his involuntary breathing. The pale white of the screen burned the angry words into his mind's eye.

He dropped his head into his hands with a heavy sigh. "Dammit Leo, why the hell did you agree with them? Why couldn't you just take my side for once, considering all the things I've done for you? Now, I'm stuck listening to that imbecile "woo" her as if she were some lesser female creature and it was mating season. She deserves more fucking respect than what he gives her…" Don hissed angrily, albeit he did so quietly. He stood up. "I'll clean up the damn code later; I need to get out of here before I break that simpleton's neck." He sighed in exasperation as he made his way up the stairs.

~.~.~.~.~

Donatello found himself shivering as he walked past more pine trees. His feet left the lightest of foot prints in the pristine snow. He marveled at its perfection, its pureness, and its cleanliness. The pines towered high above him, he was deep in the forest, glad to have left the farmhouse behind him. It was as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. A pang of guilt had crept into his mind of course; he was ashamed of his quiet but violent words against Leo and Casey. No matter what the two of them did to upset him, he couldn't help his peaceful and forgiving nature from doing what it did best: being peaceful and forgiving. Don rolled his eyes, he knew that his nature made him seem weak to his brothers, it was a weakness to everyone. He slowly closed his eyes as he continued his walk, the light from the hidden sun filtered through the branches of the pines. It was muted light, unclean, unworthy of playing its colors upon the snow.

The forest was silent, as if holding its breath in anticipation of something. Don noticed this. The birds were silent. The denizens of the forest were all silent. Even the wind had ceased its whistling through the branches of the pine trees. The silence pressed in on him and he could feel it begin to crush him. It slowly pressed the air from his lungs, leaving him struggling for breath. His eyes snapped open. Flakes of snow gently floated about him, but he ignored them. His coffee brown eyes were instead glued onto a fuzzy dark and shadowy figure leaning against a far off pine tree. The figure was tall, thin, and lanky. It seemed weak and ungainly in its lanky form. Don stared, unable to remove his gaze. The figure lifted its heavy head weakly. It stared at him, through him, and Don could feel it. He slowly but shakily reached for the bo staff secured to his shell. The figure raised an arm; Don could feel the snapping of its joints as it moved. It stretched out a large hand with thin spindly fingers, and pointed to Don's right.

The purple masked turtle, although on edge and suspicious of the figure, could not stop his curious gray matter from turning his head in the direction that the figure had pointed. Don tensed. Standing not twenty yards away was his brother: Leonardo.

The blue masked turtle stood in a clearing and seemed to not have noticed Donatello. He had his arms crossed over his plastron and his shell to Don. Leo's head was bent so that he seemed to be talking down at someone. Don frowned and slowly crept forward, years of ninja training took over. He glided over the snow covered ground, not leaving so much as an indent in the pale ground. Don slid behind a pine, coming into earshot of his brother.

"-not going to deal with your bull. You're the one trapped, I'm in control. You should be a little more grateful that I haven't looked into how to remove you from my system." Leo snarled. He was silent for a moment, as if listening. Don furrowed his brows, wondering what his brother was talking about and, more importantly, who he was talking to. The purple masked turtle's eyes darted about, but there was no one in sight. His eyes turned back to Leo's form. His brother had seemed to relax, though only slightly.

"Finally, something useful, but don't take it as acceptance. You've done enough to my family to justify my hatred of you. I'll never accept you, but, I suppose I don't have a choice as to working with you. Now then, show me this "weakness"." Leo began but he paused. "Someone's here?" He breathed so silently that Don barely made out what he said. Don froze up, not daring to move. He had no idea what was happening to his brother, sure he had a few hypotheses, but he was nearly as confused as Mikey would be if he had taken the batteries out of the remote for the television.

Leo's head whipped about, his mask tails fluttered with the swift movement before gently settling on his shoulder. "I heard it." He said, before turning his head away from Don. The purple masked turtle chose then to make his getaway. Don eased back, Leo's right eye would have been able to pick the movement up, but the blue masked turtle's right eye had been gouged out. Don's gaze flicked behind him, he barely registered a dry branch in time to avoid stepping on it. His gaze went back to Leo to discover that the turtle was gone. "Where'd he go?" Don thought to himself frantically as he eased back more. He bumped into something hard and looked up.

His brother's scarred face filled his vision. The single hazel eye was trained on him and an uneasy feeling settled in Don's stomach. The blue masked terrapin held out a hand to Don and the crouched turtle tentatively took the offered hand. He rose to his feet and immediately took a step away from his brother with a sheepish look plastered on his features.

"How long were you planning on watching me?"

"Um, until you performed the kata that kicks my shell every time," Don covered quickly. Leo's eye narrowed but he didn't press the subject further. He turned his shell to Don. "Don't push it, Donnie. You're a terrible liar."

Don's brows furrowed as his brother began walking away. His eyes narrowed as he remembered the reason he had come out to the forest for a walk. "Hey," He called after Leo, but the older turtle ignored him and continued walking. Don growled and gave chase, he whirled Leo around after catching up to him. They were nearly snout to snout now. "I'm the one who gets to be mad here, asswhole. You dragged me here, knowing my issues with April and that idiot. What the fuck, Leo? Why'd you throw me under the fucking bus?" Don snapped angrily. Leo blinked calmly, serenely even as the turtle who never cussed had cussed at him, as if to say "I don't give a rat's ass". In fact, Leo opened his mouth with that blank stare and said: "Look at all the fucks I give."

Don glared. He drew back a fist. "I'm going to mess up your ugly face with all those fucks, Leo."

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**A/N: Well, Don's got a bit of a potty mouth for such a calm guy. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Apologies to my readers! I've been extremely busy for the past few weeks and I was unable to post a few chapters. In order to make up for this, I will be double(possibly triple) updating this week.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT nor any other characters affiliated with the TMNT with the exception of my OCs.**

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Leo's eye narrowed to a slit and he caught Don's fist with a smack just before it would have struck his face. Leo twisted Don's wrist with a quick jerk, eliciting a small cracking sound from Don's wrist. The purple masked terrapin grimaced and fell to one knee. Leo's hazel eye bored into Don and the younger turtle glared through a wince.

"Remember who exactly you are dealing with, Donatello. I am not distracted in the slightest from my ninjutsu. I am more skilled in hand to hand combat than you. Do not test me." Leo began calmly. "Yes, this is my fault. I know how you feel about April. However, this isn't just about you. Michelangelo and Raphael need this." He continued, releasing his hold on Don's fist. The younger turtle straightened, rubbing his sore wrist. His gaze hardened into a glare.

"This wasn't for anyone but you. Don't try to justify your actions. I saw the way you looked at Mikey. You're just trying to fix your friendship with him after you slaughtered his cat." Don replied calmly, eyeing his brother angrily. Leo remained silent at that. He wasn't going to deny the verity of Don's statement, but, he still had nothing to say to his brother's comment.

_You don't have to respond to him at all. He is only trying to start a fight that will end in you losing your touch with yet another brother. You don't need him right now._

Leo nodded slightly at the statement; it possessed certain wisdom to it. He was not going to admit that the voice of his worst enemy was turning into his conscience, but, it was being helpful as of late. He returned his attention to his clearly angered brother. "Don't be late for dinner." He said with sudden calm, turning his shell to the purple masked turtle. He paused, turning his head slightly. "I'm sorry." He breathed, although too low for Don to hear. Leonardo trudged forward, ignoring his brother's bewildered stare. Don had expected Leo to react negatively and violently to his statement.

Don stared hard at Leo's retreating form while clutching his throbbing wrist. He shook his head at the disappearing figure of Leonardo and turned back to the heart of the forest. He scanned the trees but the shadowy figure that had pointed out Leonardo was gone. Don released a sigh, and the tension in his body eased. He stared at the mess of once pristine snow where his and his brother's scuffle had taken place. Don closed his eyes and bowed his head. Leo had changed. Don was unwilling to admit it aloud, but his caring older brother was quickly fading away. He was being replaced with a cagey ever-shifting and apathetically selfish character. Despite that, Don knew that Leo would lay down his life for any of his brothers without hesitation. However, the Leo that cared about his brother's emotional well-being was nearly gone, only as visible as a transparent screen upon an opaque background. Leonardo was becoming dangerously unpredictable, something Don did not like in the least. Donatello yearned for knowledge and a keen sense of prediction. He did not like surprises in the least. Don's eyes fluttered open and he turned to the direction that his older brother had taken in his walk back to the farmhouse.

He eyed the lightly-treaded footsteps of his brother. The imprints were nearly unrecognizable.

A sudden wave of anger contorted Don's usually gentle features into a snarl. "_He_ has nothing to be angry for. _He_ betrayed me. He betrayed me for that spoiled brother of ours. As if a dead cat could cause so much grief. He is blind. Leo should open that one eye of his and see that Michelangelo is overreacting. No, instead he would seek to appease the brat and leave me to attempt to hold my peace around _her_ and that… that _ignoramus_," He growled, before pausing. He sighed. "Perhaps I should just go back home…" He contemplated in a much calmer voice, his features softening.

He froze as an unnatural chill crept over him. He shivered and rubbed his arms as he leaned against a thick trunked tree. His breath came out in a wisp of vapor and goose bumps dotted his green pigmented skin. He turned his gaze up from the snow and his breath caught in his throat as his heart thudded painfully in his chest. Not more than a few meters away, the same shady figure leaned against a tree. It gave a slow shake of its head and wagged a bony finger at him. Don breathed in a shuddering breath as he stared. He took a step forward and the figure slowly drifted back behind the tree, trailing shadows flowed gently from behind the tree.

Donatello had trouble finding his voice. His mouth opened and closed but no sound would come out. He swallowed and his raw tongue felt as if it were bloated and stuck to the roof of his mouth like a gluttonous tick. He stumbled forward on half-numb legs. "Hey! W-Wait!" Don shouted as he finally found his voice. He walked forward at a brisk pace.

"Hey! Who are you?" Don shouted as he rounded the tree. He froze and tensed. The shadowy figure had vanished. His gaze dropped to the snow. No footprints. He glanced at the tree's bark but there no disturbance of any sort on the ice covered wood. A frown crept onto his features as puzzlement crept into his mind. His brown gaze darted about the frigid forest and he whirled about at every sigh and creak of the trees. He bit his lip and uttered a sound of disbelief. "He couldn't have just vanished. Where the hell did he go?" Donatello muttered, crossing his arms over his plastron. He shivered as a natural cold breeze blew past him. Although he was stymied, and much unhappy about it, he didn't want to end up like the always too curious cat that was destined for bad luck. It was becoming too cold for the purple masked terrapin to remain looking for clues about the shadow that seemed to follow him.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading, please review. I will be updating soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT or any characters associated with them.**

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The wooden door creaked open. Donatello stepped inside and quickly shut the door behind him, stopping the cold air from invading the farmhouse. He started for the kitchen but paused as he heard muffled voices from the living room. He frowned and walked towards the living room.

Raph sat next to Mikey on a couch and was shaking his head. April and Casey were sitting across from them with shocked expressions. Don sighed as he watched from the doorway. Raph must have told them about the horrors of the past few months.

He turned and saw Leo standing outside through a window. Don stared. Leo stood alone in the cold, head bowed and hands tightened into fists. Don tensed and rubbed his wrist, the one Leo had nearly broken. Don had never seen his brother do that to anyone before, not even an enemy. Yet, Leo had done it without hesitation. Don hadn't realized just how dangerous Leo could be to anyone but an enemy. Leo could kick any of their shells, but Don had never thought of Leo seriously injuring any of them. At least not the real Leo.

Don shook his head. He didn't want to think of that.

He glanced back at the living room, catching sight of Casey taking April's hand and pulling her close to him. She held onto him as Raph continued telling the tale.

Don's hands tightened into fists and he turned to the kitchen. He placed his hands on the counter-top and bowed his head. Seeing April with Casey made his chest ache. He didn't want to be around them like this. Don screwed his eyes shut. He wanted to drive the images of them holding each other out of his mind. His gaze fluttered open and he stared at the counter. He didn't want to be here. Not with the two of them falling over each other, head over heels in love. He didn't want to stumble in on them doing more than holding hands. He didn't know what he would do.

The door creaked open, a blast of cold air hit Don causing him to shiver. He didn't move, he knew it was Leo. His older brother glanced at him, his one eye staring coldly. He stood there, staring at Don for a few minutes. Donatello remained still and felt his skin shiver. He finally turned to look at Leo, straightening.  
Leo glanced at the living room and back to Don. He seemed to have picked up from Don's posture that the purple masked terrapin was upset.

"Is it them?" He asked, referring to April and Casey.

Don made no move to speak. How could Leo ask that? Leo knew what had him upset! He had dragged him here knowing about Don's feeling for April! Don's gaze narrowed and he gave his older brother a glare.

"What do you think, Leo?" He snapped a little angrier than he should have, considering their previous argument, but Don didn't care. Leo had known how being around April and Casey would affect Don. He should be the angry one. Leo had no reason to be pissed off.

Leo's mouth twitched at the sarcastic comment. He looked ready to spit something back at Don-a threat or an insult, but Don never found out.

"Don, that you?" Raph asked from the living room.

Leo glared at Don who refused to acknowledge the glare as he stared in the direction of the living room.

"Yeah it's me."

Don ignored his brother's glare as he strode past him, exiting the kitchen and walking into the living room where everyone was watching him expectantly. Don ignored April's hold on Casey and approached Raph. "What'd you need?"

"Ya' see, we were telling April about what went down in the past few months, and she wanted to know what went down recently. Ya know, like Mikey's heart transplant and Leo's new heart. Seeing as you're the one who was with Mikey and Leo the most since Leo took care of the Shredder and you handled his injuries, we'd like to know what you have to say about his... recovery."

Don stared at Raphael for a moment. "Mikey and Leo's recovery?"

Raph nodded. Don muttered something under his breath before he opened his mouth to speak.  
"Well, as you know, Leo's heart was the perfect match for Mikey. Because Leo's been a bit careless with his injuries beforehand, and his heart has been in trouble before, I had to watch Mikey closely. But, Mikey healed pretty quickly and it's almost like he was born with the heart he has now. It's a perfect match and the surgery went excellent."

"And what about Leo?" Casey asked. Don twitched and bit his lip while trying not to answer in a bitter tone.

"Leo's fine. He healed up and recovered from surgery good."

Raph gave Don a dubious look, Mikey stared as well. "How about after he came back from the Foot tower, Donnie? And could ya be a little more specific?" Raph asked in a tone that implied a tinge of irritation.

Donatello sighed. He didn't want to talk about Leo. His brother seemed to be getting a lot of attention lately. Especially from April.

"Leo came in hours after Raph did. He didn't come to me at first. He actually went into his "room" and was there for a while doing whatever it was that he was doing. When he came to me, he refused to let me treat anything but his ankle. It was fractured and he had a few bruised ribs and gashes, but nothing too major. He's healed up nicely since then, and he did tell me what happened to his eye a few days ago."

"Is it repairable?" April cut in.

Don glanced at her, pausing for a moment. "No. It's gone. He told me that the Shredder gouged it out. Believe me when I say it can't be salvaged. There's nothing left but scar tissue."

Everyone looked stunned at Don's callousness and the apparently permanent injury that accented the scar that covered half of Leo's face.

"He's alright, though, right? Mentally speaking?" April asked quietly.

Raph and Mikey stared at her in disbelief. "He ain't brain-damaged, April!"

She quickly shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant. I mean, everything you guys have told me... it sounds so traumatic. Isn't it possible that he might have some post traumatic stress and having problems dealing with it? That might explain why he and this Tenjin guy had a major fight."

"No." Mikey whispered. "No, him and Tenjin were trying to kill each other. It was something totally different."

"I'd have to agree with Mikey to an extent. Leo doesn't have the symptoms of someone with post traumatic stress. I can run some tests, but I'm positive that they'll be negative. Honestly it's his-" Don began.

The sound of crashing pots and pans came from the kitchen. All eyes whirled in that direction. "Is Leo gonna try cooking again? It sure sounds like his usual clumsy kitchen skills." Casey chuckled. Don's gaze snapped at Casey. "What an idiot." He muttered under his breath.

"Hey, Leo, you alright?" Raph called. No answer. He frowned and stood up.

An anguished scream came from the kitchen. Everyone was on their feet and rushing to the kitchen.

Leo stood alone in the kitchen, glaring after Don's retreating figure.

_He's goading you._

"I don't care." Leo muttered under his breath. "He thinks he has it so hard now. He's not stuck with YOU inside of his head."

_You have suffered, yes. But I am dead._

Leo snorted in derision. "Like it matters. You're dead, but your presence never leaves my mind. Your memories remain embedded. Whenever I think of my father, all that comes to mind is me killing him." He whispered.

_Weak and pathetic. The rat is dead. Nothing will ever change that._

Leo's hands tightened into fists.

"I hate you. I hate everything you've done to me." He spoke lowly in a voice that dripped with intensity. He was shaking with anger. His one eye blazed with hell-bent fury.

_Fool, you would throw a tantrum over the rat?_

"Don't you ever talk about him. You don't deserve to talk about him." Leo snarled.

_I do not follow the commands of a pathetic ninja and I hold no respect for his pathetic master!_

A splitting headache developed between Leonardo's eyes and he dropped to his knees, clutching his skull with both hands. He gritted his teeth in pain.

_You will learn your place!_

Leo shook his head and rose to one knee. "You are not in control of me. You will never be in control of me." He growled as he swayed to his feet. He reached out and grabbed the edge of the kitchen countertop to steady himself. He breathed in short gasps before swallowing and steadying his breath.

_You will not question me again. You will not attempt to order me again. There are far worse things I can do to you than give you a headache._

Leo growled. "You do not control me."

_That is what you may think._

"No, you will not and cannot control me." He hissed as regained control of his breathing and the pain began to fade away.

_Your insolence will cost you!_

Pain split through his frontal lobe. He gasped and stumbled back-into another part of the counter, pressing a hand to his forehead. He shook his head and used the counter to support his weight.

_Do you persist?_

"With all of me, I do." He growled back.

The pain increased tenfold. He bit his tongue to prevent a scream from escaping his lips and fell against the counter, knocking over pots and pans in a cacophony of discordant sounds. He straightened, leaning heavily on the countertop. Sweat beaded his forehead and ran down his face.

The sound of loud and worried voices from the living room rose up, but it was nothing to Leo. He couldn't hear anything over his own pain.

_You will regret your own life when I finish you!_

Pain that Leo didn't even know was imaginable split through his skull, radiating through. Leo threw his head back and released a cry of rage and anguish, spitting blood in his cry. He turned to the door and sprinted for it. His skull felt ablaze. Blood ran freely from his nose and mouth. He shoved through the door, splintering it apart. Wood went flying as he raced across the snow, into the woods.

Don stared at the broken door. He had to admit that Leo had become a lot stronger to shatter an entire solid wooden door by just running at it. He hadn't found much blood on the door, so he had to assume that Leo hadn't hurt himself when he ran into the door. But small spatters of blood trailed into the woods, and Don knew it was Leo's blood. He sighed and rose to his feet. As much as he could pretend to look the door over for clues, he wasn't fooling April. She was standing behind the countertop holding a cup of hot coffee and there was another beside her waiting for him. She knew he loved coffee and she would think there was something really wrong if he avoided it for too long. He _had_ been looking the broken door over for nearly two hours.

His brothers and Casey had gone out to search for Leo, leaving him and April alone in the house. He somewhat regretted Leo's sudden departure. At least his blue masked brother knew better than to leave him and April alone.

Don turned and approached the counter, where he grabbed a hold of the coffee and downed half the cup. He sighed and glanced back at the door, making a show of seeming stumped about it. He really didn't want to talk to April at all.

He noticed her staring at him. He sighed again, she wasn't falling for it.

"Do you really think there's nothing wrong with Leo?" She asked.

He furrowed his brows. Maybe she was falling for his act.

"I didn't say that. I know he's gotten a lot more aggressive as of late, but that's not to say that he has PTSD. He'd be a lot more sensitive around us talking about the events of the past few months if that were the case and he would freak out a lot more, believe me. Mikey had some traces of it after the Shredder stabbed him. I know for a fact that this," Don said, waving his arm at the door, "is not from PTSD."

"Then what is it? He's never acted like this before! Something is wrong with him, Don-" She began.

"I know, April! You don't have to tell me every five minutes!" He interrupted with frustration clear on his features, slamming his cup on the counter. He sighed and rubbed the bridge between his eyes. April stared at him.

"Don, I'm sorry. I understand that you're worried about him" she said, reaching across the counter to place her hand on Don's. He flinched at the contact and yanked his hand free. "No, you don't understand, April." He managed as he stepped away from the counter and headed for the basement.

She moved in his way. "Don, what's wrong? Is this about Leo?" She asked with sympathetic green eyes.

He quickly shoved past her. "It's nothing, April. I have work to do."

She stared after him with a forlorn expression.

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**A/N: Alright, this is a transition chapter. The pace will definitely pick up after this. Please review, it'll help speed along the writing process.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT.**

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Donatello sat at a chair in the basement. He was alone. He was surrounded by darkness. The dark pressed in on him. The glow of his computer was nearly swallowed by it. His coffee brown gaze scanned over the monitor. He leaned back in his cushioned chair. He glanced at the time on his screen and nodded. It was late night, almost the morning of the next day. He'd been working for nearly two days non-stop. Ever since Leo's sudden disappearance, he had remained quiet, withdrawn, and had lived in the basement over the past month or so. No one had bothered him. They were all searching still.

Searching for Leo.

So far there was still no trace of their missing brother. No one knew what had happened. No one knew why he left. He never came back. He never called or messaged anyone. Everyone's phone calls had met his voice-mail. It was like Leo had just vanished from the face of the earth. He had run off, much faster than anyone else but Michelangelo. Mikey, however, had not been very fond of Leo at that time and had not chased after him at a dead sprint. So, Leo was gone without a trace. No one knew where he might have gone. They had no clues. No information to go off of. Only that Leo had not been in the right mind when he had left, and might be dead now.

Only now did Mikey regret not chasing after Leo. Mikey regretted it so much now. He was quiet most of the time. Never ate. Never slept. Never did anything unless it involved searching for Leo. The search would end soon, Donatello knew it. They hadn't found Leo or any trail of him. They needed to go back to New York City soon. Donatello couldn't wait.

He wasn't eager to return home. He just didn't want to be around April's questioning gaze anymore. He didn't want to be near her. He didn't want to think about her. His thoughts turned dark at the mention of April. If he thought about her for too long, he knew something bad would happen. He could be coaxed into forcibly moving her and Casey apart. He didn't want to do that, or at least he knew it would end badly if he did. Because, Donatello very much wanted to drive them apart. He wanted her away from Casey. As far away as possible. Casey was bad for her, according to some of his more emotionally driven thoughts.

So Don wanted to leave. He wanted out. He wanted out of the situation he had been thrown into. He popped his neck and sighed as he stared at his computer screen. His program was done. His work was done. What now?

He glanced at the door that led out of the basement. He wondered if Mikey was going to recover from his quiet state and how Raph was dealing with everything else since Leo abandoned them.

~.~.~.~

Raphael stood in the kitchen of the farmhouse, working on the stovetop. He glanced down at the boiling pot of water and added some salt before pouring pasta shells into it. He turned to the oven where rolls of bread were baking. He had to admit, he was getting better at the cooking thing. He turned to the stovetop and shifted some chicken thighs around in a pan, making sure they weren't burning. He glanced at the doorway that had been broken a month ago. He sighed and leaned against the counter.

Why did Leo run off like that?

His gaze dropped to the ground. His brother had been acting off a little lately, what had started it? Raph shook his head. It would've had to have been something pretty bad to set Leo off like that. Although, considering what the guy had been through, Raph didn't blame him. He was actually surprised that Leo had still remained with them after everything that had happened. Leo had been tortured, electrocuted, forced to trade places with his worst enemy, unable to contact anyone he truly cared about, attacked by those he loved, and he even gave his heart to Mikey as a last resort to save his baby brother despite the cost of his own life. Hell, Leo was still able to pull through with them after that. He had still been the Leo they had grown up with. Then the Foot attacked again, and everything about Leo changed.

Leo got into that major battle with the Shredder, costing him his left eye and the death of the Shredder. Raph had always thought that when the Shredder was finally killed, that everything would finally be alright. That everything would be better off. He had never felt so wrong.

With the Shredder dead, Master Splinter was gone with him, and now, so was Leo. Their older brother left, without a word, and no explanation. Raph rubbed the bridge of his brows tiredly. Was this how their family would fall apart? Don never talked with anyone; he kept to himself in the basement, preferring the company of his computer over anything else. Mikey took Leo's departure the worst. He didn't do anything other than search for Leo now. The past three weeks had been a sort of hell on the baby brother. Mikey regretted not speaking with Leo when the eldest was still around.

Raph felt differently. Talking to Leo wouldn't have made any difference at all. He knew Leo better than that. When their eldest brother was dead set on something, he could not be swayed. Leo had changed. There was nothing to be done anymore. They had searched for him but there was nothing else to be done. It was apparent that Leo didn't want to be found.

April and Casey had backed off lately, and they felt that Leo's disappearance had to do with them. They thought it was their fault. Raph shook his head. He had hoped that coming out to the farmhouse would ease tensions. He had hoped to heal old wounds. He had been wrong and now _he_ was the leader.

Raphael sighed and turned back to his cooking.

~.~.~.~

Scalding water sprayed down from the showerhead, it pelted Michelangelo's skin with the pattering sound of rain. He sat with his legs sprawled out before him in the shower, his shell to the wall. He stared at the shower's floor tiles. The water burned him and caused his skin to flush red, but he ignored it. He didn't care about it. It was his entire fault.

Leo was gone because of him.

The same person who had thrown his life away to save Mikey… and Mikey had turned his shell on him. How could he have done it? How could he have been so cold to the person who was always there for him?

His big brother…gone… and it was his fault. It was Mikey's fault.

He should've talked to Leo. He should've been there for him. Leo had never abandoned him when he needed help. Leo had always watched over Mikey with a tender gaze. Mikey had taken advantage. He had taken Leo for granted, knowing subconsciously that Leo was hurting. Leo was hurting inside, no matter what anyone had said, Mikey knew it. He had heard it in Leo's voice.

He slowly lifted his blue gaze to the ceiling, tears forming in his eyes. He had known that Leo was troubled. He had known his eldest brother was tired and sad. So sad. And Mikey had done nothing about it. He hadn't said a word. He didn't do anything to help. He, who was supposed to be Leo's closest friend, had abandoned his brother when Leo needed him the most. He had heard his brother—not literally. Leo had been silent and impassive, but Mikey could tell that on the inside, he was weeping. Leo was so tired and had felt so much pain… and Mikey had done nothing to help him.

Mikey closed his eyes as his shoulders shook with sobs that were drowned out by the constant drumming of the water on the shower tiles and his own sensitive skin. This was his fault.

Mikey knew Leo. He knew his brother. He knew Leo wouldn't want to come back. Not for a long time, or not at all.

~.~.~.~

Donatello sat at his computer typing away in his dimly lit lab. It was late. Dark circles were under his tired brown gaze. He hadn't slept well in weeks. None of them had. Leo had been gone for three months  
now and no one knew what had happened to him. They didn't even know if he was still alive. Don felt like an inconsiderate jerk. That first month that Leo had been gone, he hadn't helped much to find  
their missing brother. Now Mikey had retreated even further inside of himself. It was hard to look at Mikey these days. He was nothing like how he was. He never did anything that he wanted to do anymore. It was always either sitting and staring into space, doing what he was told, or talking about Leo. It didn't even feel like he was there anymore but as a constant presence. Like a shadow of his former self.

Raph was the big brother now. He kept them together by having them all sit together for dinner. No one talked. It was always him talking and no one else but a few words of input from Don and a nod or grunt from Mikey. He led the morning training sessions. He kept the lair clean. He still went out on patrols, making sure that Don and Mikey knew when he left. He was far more responsible. He was even working at a mechanic shop. He worked the nights and picked up the money that the owners left for him.

He was doing everything right. He had changed so much for the better in the past few months.

He was tired though, Don could see it. Raphael was shouldering all the burdens that Leo normally would. He did everything around the lair. He cleaned, he cooked, he bought groceries, and he always checked up on Mikey and Don.

He was trying very hard to be Leo, and it was admirable, but he wasn't Leo.

Don leaned back in his chair and scanned over the computer screen. He had been spending the past few months trying to track Leo down, but he hadn't had any leads at all. Now that he was away from April and Casey, he had been able to concentrate more on the task but it was nearly impossible. Leo was a ninja, if he didn't want to be found then no one would find him. Don sighed and cradled his head in his  
hands. He felt hopeless. Their brother was gone yet again.

He didn't know how to find him anymore. He had tried everything. Maybe it was time to accept that Leo was gone. They had to move on.

Leo was an adult, he could take care of himself and if he wanted to leave, that was his thing. Don just wished Leo had left on better terms and had told them that he was leaving.

He had to worry about his other two brothers now. He couldn't just ignore them and search for Leo as much as they seemed to need him.

Donatello stood up from the desk and turned towards the door before freezing. His hand tightened on the back of his chair as his wide coffee brown gaze stared ahead in a mix of shock and horror.

A skeletal creature that was mostly shadow stood lurking half in and half out of the shadows near the doorway. It seemed hunched over on itself. It reached out with a bony hand covered in gray fuzz. There was a cracking sound as its fingers twitched. Don took a step back and reached for the bo staff that rested against his desk.

"Donnie." It's raspy voice creaked. Don's breath hitched as the voice grated against his consciousness. He wrapped a hand around his bo staff.

"How did you get in here?" He managed to say as he brought his staff up to bear. He swallowed but kept himself at the ready for anything.

The skeletal creature tilted its head to the side in a slow falling movement that elicited another crack like that of a bone snapping into position. "Donnie...brothers..." It whispered like a paper rustling. It was so quiet that Donatello could only catch pieces of what it said.

"Wait, what about my brothers?" Don asked, his grip tightening on his staff as he tried to piece the strange encounter together.

The creature slowly slipped back into the shadows, raising a bony finger to its mouth. "Help... them... too... late."

"Hey! Get back here! Too late for what?!" Don's voice escalated as he darted forward, his mind racing with wild thoughts and a fearful panic even as it ran on its reserves.

Don's palm slapped against cold stone. Whoever had just talked to him was now gone. Somehow, the creature had simply disappeared. Don shook his head and took a step back. "Things don't just disappear. Where did it go? Not even a master ninja could vanish like that." He whispered to himself as his tired gaze swept over the solid stone wall.

Don slipped his bo staff into the strap on his shell before rubbing his hands over his head. He sighed. "Maybe my sleep deprivation is finally affecting me."

He glanced at the small bed in the corner of his room.

"But there's just too much to do. Too many things and never enough time. I'll get some sleep later. Maybe some coffee will settle my nerves for now." He murmured to himself.

Don turned towards the door and opened it before heading into the kitchen. He went about the kitchen, opening cabinets and pouring water into a coffee pot before starting the coffee maker. He leaned against the counter and waited for the inevitable beep that signaled the end of brewing and the beginning of liquid caffeine.

Don glanced at the kitchen table to spot a map with black ink trailed over parts of it. He frowned. So his brothers were patrolling the city. No wonder Raph hadn't checked up on Don in a while. Yet, why  
hadn't Raph told him before he left?

Don yawned. Maybe Raph had said something and Don hadn't paid much attention to him. Don had been so engrossed in his work that he didn't deny the verify or possibility of his hypothesis.  
He straightened and his hand shot up to his bo staff instinctively as he heard a series of crashes. He glanced around.

"Raph? Mikey?" He asked aloud.

Silence.

Don slipped his bo staff free of its sheath and headed out into the dark living room. All of the lights in the lair were off.

Don's gaze had narrowed in suspicion and he retreated into extreme caution. His security system should have activated. No one but his brothers and a few select others should be able to get inside the  
lair.

"Who's there?" Don asked in a much more stiff and sharp tone. There was a grunt of effort that caused Don to turn sharply in its direction.

"Raph got hurt." Mikey's voice, lacking its humorous ring, echoed in the darkness. Don turned to a lever that controlled the lights and pushed it up into position. The floodlights came to life with a humming sound.

Don dropped his bo staff at the sight.

Raph leaned heavily on Mikey's shoulder while the younger terrapin supported him with most of his body weight. Blood dripped from multiple slashes on Raph's body and it streamed from his mouth and  
down his throat. His feral amber gaze was glowing with anger.

" The Foot and Karai are back. I guess Leo didn't have the balls to kill her." Raph growled.

* * *

**A/N: Please review, this chapter took me awhile to figure out. I finally figured out my problem with this story and I should be good now :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT.**

* * *

"What exactly happened, Raph?" Don asked as he wrapped a particularly nasty gash across his older brother's forearm in gauze to staunch the flow of blood. He sat on a rolling chair while his brother sat on the day bed. Raph watched Don's hands at work while Mikey leaned against the wall with a dismal expression.

"Mikey and I were on patrol. We passed by some Purple Dragons robbing a store and we sent them running. Then we got ambushed by Foot ninjas. Mikey and I were pinned down in the corner of an alley by the time Karai showed her ugly mug. She came after me and cut me up. Mikey threw a few smoke pellets and we came back here." He grumbled.

Don sighed. "Well, lucky for you, she didn't sever any arteries. She got a few veins and some capillaries, but nothing too important. You'll be fine."

Raph stood up and headed for his room. "She won't be when I see her again." He muttered.

Mikey followed Raph out and Don sighed. At least Raph's temper was somewhat normal.

"Donnie…"

Don's head whipped around instantly. That voice. He involuntarily shivered and swiftly stood up. "I really need to get some sleep." He muttered.

~.~.~.~

Don could feel his pulse racing and his heart beating irregularly enough from fear to be considered a risk to his health. His breath came out in cold gasps of vapor as he pressed his shell to the wall. His coffee brown gaze stared at the horror before him.

Raphael clutched the side of his abdomen, where a katana blade had sliced through tightly knit muscle and bone. He stood unsteadily, lifting a sai in his right hand as he glared down an opponent that was blurred and distant. Don couldn't make out the slim figure's features, only the silver sliver of a steel blade. He started forward to help Raph, but found that his arms were trapped against the brick wall. Somehow the stone had wrapped around his forearms tightly, keeping him immobilized. He jerked on his arms and gave a cry of frustration and pent up sorrow as he was forced to watch the blood that pumped and spurted from between the fingers that Raphael kept pressed tightly against his injury.

"Raph! Raph get out of here!" He cried as he struggled against the wall's immense strength.

Raph glanced back at Don and offered him a reassuring smile. Don froze. He knew that smile. A tear streamed down his cheek. Leo had given him that same smile before he gave Mikey his heart.

"Don't worry, Donnie. I got this. It's just a scratch." He grunted and his face changed into a grimace before he forced that sad smile through. His amber gaze was pale but it still had it's usual fire. "I got her on the ropes." He managed to say before turning back just in time for a katana to neatly slice through his face, bisecting his skull. Blood arced in flow with the blade and brain matter and splinters of bone flew wildly.

Raphael's body crumpled to the ground soundlessly, lifelessly.

Donatello watched in horror. A vaguely familiar scream tore through the dank and cold air.

A cold and decaing breath wheezed on the back of his shoulder and that papery thin voice rustled quietly. "Donnie…"

Don screwed his eyes shut. "No… No… No…"

"Pain and death fly on swift wings, Donnie. There is no escape. There is no reprieve. Only sorrow. Only sorrow."

Tears streamed from Don's closed eyes and he breathed in gasps while his shoulders shook. The beginnings of a sob escaped his lips.

"Sit and listen, Donnie." It whispered.

He shook his head.

"Donnie…" It whispered again, though its voice was fainter.

"…listen…" It echoed.

~.~.~.~

Don's eyes flew open as he sat up swiftly, a gasp escaping his throat. His skin was covered in a sheen of sweat and his bed sheets were strewn about wildly. His breath came out in quick and ragged gasps. He evened his breathing and closed his eyes. He let his shoulders sag and sighed in relief.

"Just a dream." He whispered.

A cold breath swayed over the back of his neck and he stiffened with wide eyes. He glanced over his shoulder but his gaze met nothing but an empty wall. He sighed and swung his legs over the side of his day bed before standing up and tying his mask on.

"Donnie…"

He grimaced and looked around but saw nothing. He shook his head and swiftly exited his lab. He made his way to the kitchen where Raph was busy starting to cook breakfast. Don's gaze dropped to Raph's abdomen. He relaxed at the sight of unmarred skin. He turned to the coffee maker only to notice that it was already on and brewing. He glanced about the kitchen before turning back to Raphael.

"Where's Mikey?"

Raph grunted as he knelt down to dig a pan out of a cupboard. "Probably in his room sulking."

Don sat down at the kitchen table. "So, did he talk at all when you guys were on patrol?"

Raph straightened, pan in hand, and glanced at Don. "Not really. You already know this, Don. He doesn't talk much, and when he does, it's always about Leo. He thinks Leo hates him. I don't get it. Leo gave him everythin'. How can he think Leo hates 'im."

Don frowned. "Raph, Leo left us at a critical time. Mikey never made his peace with him. Of course he thinks Leo hates him. They used to be really close before everything fell apart. And I think that seeing Karai will only have made things worse."

Raph set the pan down on the counter and stared at Don. "What're ya' saying?"

Don looked Raph in the eye. "Karai is one step down from the Shredder, and, she's his daughter. Meaning, she'll want revenge for Leo killing the Shredder and Mikey will see her as 'responsible' for everything bad that's happened to us."

Raph's gaze narrowed. "She is responsible for some o'this bad shit, Donnie."

"Yeah, some is the key word. But Mikey will her responsible for everything, including Leo's disappearance." Don said, watching his older brother and gauging his reaction.

Raph blanched. "Shit, you don't mean… you don't think Mikey would try and go after her on his own, do ya'?"

Don nodded. "He's upset about this whole mess, Raph, we can't put that past him. He's changing, we all are."

Raph cursed under his breath as he moved to sit down across from Don at the table. Once seated, he leaned closer. "So what are you saying that we do then? We need to take Karai down, I know that, but we can't give Mikey the chance to go one on one with her. He'll get himself killed. No offense to him, he's a great fighter, but hell…" Raph sighed.

"Even I had trouble fighting her, and the only reason Leo beat her was because he's a better ninja. He could creep up on her and get her by surprise like nothing. But, in a real fight, he would've lost. I'm good in a real fight, Don, and I can barely beat her. What makes Mikey think he can take her? She'll beat him. She's too damn good with a katana, and she's even better at making us look like idiots." He growled under his breath.

Don nodded again, meeting Raph's amber gaze. "I know, Raph. That's why she needs to go. I took the liberty of doing some research on Foot activities, but it's nothing conclusive… yet. I found a series of breaking and entering as well as a few thefts and kidnappings at a research center for bio-tech. I don't know what she's doing, but she's grabbing a lot of serious hardware."

Don's features had taken on that of a carefully calculated individual, his gaze hard and unreadable. "She's kidnapped a few respected members of the science community, and I have reason to believe that the people she kidnapped are now dead. Raph, she's doing something dangerous here and I believe that we should get to the bottom of it before she executes any plan of hers. It's likely that we're on the receiving end of her plot and that it won't bode well for us at all. This is probably going to be an act of vengeance for Leo killing the Shredder… Her father."

Raph stared at him, clearly the gears were turning in his skull and he didn't like what was coming out of it at all. "So we're going to war with the Foot again?" Mikey asked as he entered the kitchen. He leaned against a wall with his arms crossed in front of his plastron. His blue gaze was no longer warm and inviting. It was cold and detached and angry.

Don glanced back at Raph, who had dropped his gaze to the table. They were expecting him to make the decision. He sighed. "Dammit. This ain't my place. I ain't supposed to be calling these fucking shots." He muttered angrily under his breath.

"Leo's gone. You're our leader now, Raph. You need to make this decision." Don said as he placed his hand over Raph's. Raph shot him a glare and snatched his own hand away. "I didn't ask to be the leader, and it ain't my fault Leo ran off. If he couldn't handle the pressure of killing the Shredder, then he should'a figured that one out before he cut Shredder's head off!" Raph snarled, banging his fists on the table.

Don flinched and Mikey watched. Raph's muscles were tense and his amber gaze was blazing angrily. He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed deeply before relaxing. He slowly opened his eyes, revealing a tired amber gaze. "You're both… this is… yer' askin' me t'start somethin' we can't afford to start."

Mikey stood up and pointed a finger at him sharply. "Don't be such a priss. You're always rushing into a fight! What's the big deal this time? You just chicken 'cause Leo's not here to lead the way? All these years, you wanted to be the leader and now you can't handle it?"

Raph's gaze turned on him, laced with venom and dripping with anger. "This is different, and you know that! Every time I rushed in to a fight, I was only risking myself! This time, I'm risking my brothers! You don't get to judge me about this, Mikey!"

Mikey snorted at that and turned and walked away. He paused and turned his head slightly. "Leo would've called it. He'd have known we need to take the Foot down." He snapped before swiftly exiting the room.

"I ain't Leo." Raph muttered darkly, turning back to the table.

"But we need a leader, Raph, and we need to close this ordeal with Karai as soon as possible. The sooner Karai is out of the picture, the sooner we can focus our efforts on fixing this family. The more we fight the Foot, the more we fight a common enemy and not each other." Don said as he rose to his feet. He offered Raph a small smile.

"Raph, I'm not trying to pressure you into making this decision. I know you've done a lot for us since Leo left. Just think it over, okay?" He said before grabbing a cup of coffee and heading towards his lab.

Raph sat staring at the table, frozen in thought and clearly troubled.

~.~.~.~

**Three Months Later**

"Mistress Karai, we have obtained traces of the turtle's DNA as you requested."

Karai, clad in her usual battle attire, turned at the sound of the voice. Her green gaze narrowed at the sight of three prostrated ninjas. She stood in the center of the penthouse of the Foot tower. In a glass case before her, the Shredder's suit of armor—missing the helmet—was displayed proudly.

"And what of the traitor who took my father's head? What of Leonardo?" She snapped angrily.

The ninjas exchanged glances. "Mistress, we have not seen or heard of him. It is as if he has completely vanished. Perhaps Master Shredder mortally wounded him in the last fight, and," One of the ninjas began.

Karai tossed something long and sharp at the ninja. He screwed his eyes shut in fear. Something metal clattered and clanged on the ground in front of him. He swallowed and opened his eyes. On the floor in front of him, a bloody and blue hilted katana was lying on the wood paneled floor.

"If he is dead, where did this come from, and where is his body?" Karai asked sharply.

The ninja wisely remained silent.

"It was found by one of the Legionnaires stationed near the shore side. He claimed that it washed ashore, embedded in the bloated corpse of a human male. The reports state that the man had been floating around in the bay long enough to be unidentifiable except by DNA samples. Sharks and other scavenging fish had taken pieces of the body, but left most of it intact. The blade itself had been crusted over and caked with so much blood that not even the salt water had been able to clean it off. It's unknown as to where the body and blade came from, only that the katana belongs to Leonardo the traitor." Another ninja answered quietly.

Karai's gaze turned on him. "You are correct, but I did not give you the permission to speak."

He bowed his head lower.

"But you seem to have better instincts than your partner. Your name, speak it swiftly."

"Ushinatta Owari." He said quickly.

Karai nodded. "A fitting name for an Elite. I charge you, Owari, with finding the coward who hides from us. He knows we hunt him. Double all efforts to find him. In the meantime, you other two will continue searching for the components that Dr. Stockman requires. Go." She ordered.

The ninjas stood and bowed respectfully before sprinting off.

Another ninja stepped into the room and dropped to one knee before Karai. She glared him down.

"Mistress, we have received reports from the field of a sighting of the turtles."

"Is Leonardo with them?"

"No, mistress, there are only three. They are preventing the retrieval of the equipment from the shipping yard."

Karai nodded thoughtfully. "This is another attack in a long line. They want another war. Good. Send some of our Legionnaires to support the others and call all patrols to their vicinity. They will not be escaping again." She ordered fiercely. The ninja bowed and ran off to do as he was ordered.

Karai turned back to her father's armor. "You will be avenged, father. Tonight I will bring you those who have wronged us. Then, I will find Leonardo and force him to watch as I cleave their heads from their bodies."

~.~.~.~

Donatello ducked underneath a slashing katana before leaping back. He spun his bo staff in front of him, deflecting a wave of shuriken. He glanced over his shoulder to see Mikey effortlessly beating back a black tide of angry Foot ninja. Don turned to his left as he swung his bo staff into a ninja, sending the human careening back. He spotted Raphael just as his brother punched the lights out of a ninja before grabbing the ninja's wrist and flinging him into a group of other ninjas, sending them to the ground.

There was a smirk on Raph's face as he did so.

Don swung his bo staff into a Foot ninja's skull with a crack before slamming the end of the staff into another ninja's foot. The ninja cried out as Don dropped to the ground and knocked his feet out from under him.

The ninja hit the ground hard. Don swiftly rose to his feet, spinning his staff to dissuade any further attacks while he stood up. He brought his staff up over his head before deceptively swinging it into a ninja's side with a crack as ribs snaped under the blow. Don straightened. Most of the ninjas were down and out. Some, like the one who had gotten his skull cracked by Don's bo staff, were less fortunate and likely dead.

Don turned to Raph and Mikey, who were now slipping their weapons back into their belts. Don slid his own weapon into the sheath on his shell and stretched his arms out as he gingerly stepped over the unconscious bodies and made his way back to his brothers.

His feet made near to no sound on the wooden pier as he casually apporached his brothers. "I think you were enjoying that one, Raph." He said with a wry smile as he neared them. Even Mikey had a smirk on his face.

"Well, seeing as I beat you and Mikey this time, I'm a little pleased with myself." He responded with a grin.

Don raised a brow. "Really?"

Raph grinned wider and puffed out his chest. "I got sixteen of em' lil' buggers."

Don nodded appreciatively, he had only gotten twelve. Raph did good.

Mikey, however, grinned. "You lose, Raph, I got twenty."

Raph and Don tuned swiftly. Raph blanched. "No way, Mikey!"

Mikey nodded and heaved a deep sigh. "If you don't believe me, Raph, just as my dear friend," he began.

"What friend?" He interrupted.

Mikey's hand reached into his belt pouch and whipped out into Raph's face with a dramatic flourish. Raph blinked in surprise as he came snout to snout with a small mouse. It cocked its head at him and wriggled its nose as it sniffed him. "This one." Mikey said with a grin.

Don stared in surprise. "Mikey, where did you find that?" He managed to ask.

"What the heck is it?" Raph asked, in shock.

Mikey chuckled and brought it back to snuggle it with his cheek. "It's a feces, guys."

Don glanced at Raph and the both of them frowned. "Feces?" Raph mouthed at Don. The purple masked terrapin shrugged before turning back to his younger brother. "Mikey, you do know what feces is, right?" Don asked.

Mikey scoffed. "Of course I know what a feces is. You told me, Donnie! It's a baby mouse, bro."

Don opened his mouth before closing it. "Well, I suppose I did say that." He admitted.

Raph smirked. "Alright Mikey, take your feces and go ahead and check t'see if we've got any more company waiting."

"Alright," Mikey confirmed before turning and running off into the shadows of a marina warehouse, safely tucking the mouse back into his belt pouch.

Don turned to Raph, who was smirking. "This is helpin' him a lot, ain't it?" The red masked warrior asked. Don offered him a smile. "Yeah, it actually is. I guess he feels more proactive about this. He feels like we're getting somewhere with Karai and Leo. We're actually doing something now."

"I don't know about the whole 'Leo' thing, but I can tell we've been pissing Karai off. This is the fifth time we've stopped her goons from stealing research equipment this month. Last month it was three stops and we saved a researcher from getting nabbed." Raph replied with a sigh. "Honestly, I missed this. Just fighting and kicking ass. No torture. No freaky shit. No sci-fi bull. Just a good ol' fashioned butt-whooping. This is normal, Don, the kind o'stuff we used to do. Y'know what I mean?"

Donatello nodded. He understood what Raph was saying, but had Don been comfortable? No. He'd been having more and more nightmares lately. Dreams of his brother getting seriously hurt and dying. The voice that haunted his dreams and whispered to him while he was awake was taxing on him. He had no idea what it was, whether a figment of his imagination or conjuration of mind intrusion. He had no idea. It had whispered of things "yet to come" and always "dangerous". It was telling him that something bad was going to happen. Don had no idea what to make of the voice, but his dreams terrified him. They terrified him because they seemed so familiar. The pain, the death, the horror—it all seemed so familiar, but he couldn't place it.

He glanced up to see Raph watching him. "I can't help but feel like something bad is going to happen, Raph." Don voiced quietly.

Raph gave him a hard look. "Why?" He asked accusingly.

"Well, after everything we've been through… it doesn't seem right. We've been having a winning streak for awhile now, and usually, it never lasts. Something bad is going to happen, Raph. It has to happen because it always happens." Don said as his worried gaze scanned the ship yard.

Raph sighed and placed a hand on Don's shoulder. "Don, we're doing fine. Ain't nothin' gonna' anytime soon. Not while we're on alert and ready for it."

Don didn't look convinced.

"Guys! More Foot ninjas!" Mikey's voice rang out in the darkness of the night. His sprinting form became visible, a blur of green and orange amongst a black tide of sprinting and leaping figures.

"Shit." Raph muttered under his breath as he dug his sais out of his belt. Don couldn't agree more.

The two moved shell to shell, Don slipped his bo staff free of its sheath and held it tightly in both hands as the ninjas moved to encircle them. Mikey's nunchucks were in his hands and spinning as he made his way to them, shell first. The three brothers stood shell to shell in the middle of a large group of Foot ninjas.

"So, who's up for round two?" Don asked as he eyed the ninjas. Their steel blades glimmered in the darkness. Don didn't need to count to know there were over fifty ninjas present. After already having fought some, Don wasn't quite so sure they could win another fight against the ninjas, but it was worth a shot.

Mikey grinned. "Be prepared to lose."

Raph grinned and leapt forward, spinning his sais. "I don't think so, Mikey!" He dove feet first into the ninjas, sending them sprawling and forcing more to back away or join the others on the floor.

Mikey blanched as he continued to spin his nunchucks, building up momentum. "Hey! That's cheating, Raph!" He shout as he whipped his chucks out to strike at a trio of black clad ninjas surging forward. Don shook his head, but a smirk played on his lips as he twirled his staff expertly. His bo staff had the longest reach and forced the ninjas to keep their distance or be incapacitated.

Don shifted his feet and raised his staff to shove a thrusted naginata out of his personal space. He ducked low with a sweep of his right leg that knocked the ninja off his feet. Don found himself immediately on the defense once more, twirling his bo staff quickly and having to push aside deadly strikes from several blades at once. He shifted about this and that, struggling not to be hit by a single blade. He felt like he was fighting a wave of water rather than a group of ninjas.

He leaned back, sliding forward as he did so, barely avoiding a katana blade that should have sliced him in two. Don swept his bo staff up and twisted sharply, straightening and entering a fighting stance. His chest heaved and he held his staff tightly in both hands as it rested on the back of his shoulders. He swallowed and nodded to the ninjas with a wry smile.

They surged forward at his easy target only for him to duck and spin, whipping his staff out like a small tornado. The ninjas fell back as bones cracked under the blow. Don straightened and slammed the butt of his staff into the ground before using it to vault over the heads of shocked ninjas and land behind most of them.

He swung his staff swiftly at the backs of their legs, sending more than a few careening to the ground.

Mikey grinned at the move Don executed. "Eight points for style, Donnie-boy!" He shouted over the din as he ducked under the swing of a bo staff and cracked both of his nunchucks into the attacker's knees. The ninja's legs buckled and he fell, but Mikey rose and kicked him into his allies who stumbled back under the ninja's dead weight.

"Thanks, Mikey, but I'd like to think that my technique is better than my style." Don laughed as he brought his bo staff up to his left and then to his right to block the strikes from another bo staff.

"Twenty! Twenty-one! Twenty-two!" Raph shouted as he punched one ninja in the face before twisting aside and elbowing two more in the stomach. His stepped back, but raised his sais, catching a katana wielding ninja's wrist. He drove the ninja's weight around, twisting the ninja and hurling him into his comrades who shouted as he struck them.

"I'm winning!" He shouted back at his brothers before using his sais to trap another unlucky ninja and rolling back, onto his shell, to fling the ninja over his head with a swift push of both feet the ninja's stomach.

"I don't think so, Raph!" Mikey shouted back just before his nunchuck struck another ninja's skull with a crack. "Twenty-five!"

"You do not have twenty-five." Don remarked as he ducked underneath a stab for his throat.

"Yeah I do! Well, maybe not." Mikey replied as his nunchucks spun again while he eyed the wary ninjas approaching him. "Okay, okay, you got me, guys. I was estimating twenty-five. I lost count about three ninjas ago."

Don rolled his eyes and side stepped a blow from a rapidly moving weight at the end of a chain. The wielder swiftly began spinning his chain in one barely gloved hand. The ninja was different, he strode differently—more like a panther awaiting for its prey to make a mistake. Don noticed that the black clad ninjas that had been so abundant, had thinned down to a mere few. These few hung back, watching. This new ninja wore a dappled gray uniform and the red Foot symbol was stitched on the inside of his gloves. The eye slits on his mask were actually crimson goggles.

Don steadied himself and waited warily. The ninja hurled the chain again, Don dodged aside and another chain wrapped around him from behind, trapping his arms and forcing him to drop his bo staff. Don turned and widened his stance as his captor yanked on the chain. Another similarly clad ninja held the chain. Don dug his feet in and twisted sharply but the ninja's grip on the chain was stronger. The ninja yanked harshly and Don stumbled forward. The ninja sprinted forward and a blade flashed in his hand, it was curved up like a banana on one side and straight on the other side.

Don dropped on his shell and rolled out of the path of the sharp blade. He rose to a crouch. "Hey guys, I could use a little help over here!" He called over his shoulder as he struggled against the pull of the chain and weaved in and out of the path of the blade.

Raphael ducked underneath the swipe of a sword and jumped up, bringing a hammer kick down on his opponent with a popping sound as the ninja's neck broke. He used the momentum of the strike to sail over the ninjas that had crowded him and land in a dead sprint to Don's aid. His sais flew from his hands swiftly and struck the chain holding Don down.

The chain snapped and the ninja holding it leapt back as Raph's fist struck the air where he had stood. Don rubbed his sore arms before taking on a fighting stance with empty hands.

"Thanks, Raph."

"You owe me." Was the reply as Raph took the same empty handed fighting stance. The brothers moved shell to shell as the two gray ninjas circled them, soon joined by another two.

They swung the same weighted chains swiftly, gaining momentum in their fluid grip. The ninjas hurled the chains. Don and Raph sidestepped, the both of them narrowly avoiding the strike of four weighted chains. The two moved shell to shell once more.

"Raph."

"What, Don?" Was the tired and exasperated reply.

"I think we're losing."

"No shit, Don."

The ninjas hurled the chains again. Don and Raph moved swiftly but the thud and crack of the weight hitting Raph's shell made Don falter and turn. Raph cried out in pain before dropping to one knee. He grunted and slowly rose onto his feet.

He glanced at Don and his gaze went wide. "Don, move!" He shouted. Don turned around as a katana blade arced to slice his throat open. A hand grabbed the edge of his shell and yanked him out of the way. Don hit the ground on his shell and went rigid in horror as the katana came down on Raphael's exposed and injured body.

Mikey's blue gaze turned on the scene just in time to see the blade drop. His eyes went wide and his body went rigid.

Raph's amber gaze was accepting. He knew he didn't have the strength or the speed to stop the katana before it was too late, not after taking a heavy hit from a solid metal weighted chain to the shell. His amber gaze was fixated on the ninja who would slay him.

"Sorry, guys." He thought to himself.

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**A/N: Yeah, a longer chapter! Review, please!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So I haven't gotten any reviews but I know you guys are reading (based off the traffic reports). C'mon guys, please review. I don't get paid to do this stuff, I like doing it out of my own enjoyment and I like writing these stories, but reviews really help. Like I've said before, reviews get me motivated because it lets me know what you guys are thinking and it helps me improve my own writing style. So, please review.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT.**

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The ninja felt himself yanked back by a slender hand gripped on his shoulder. Raph felt the whistle of the blade pass by him and released a gasp of pent-up tension as it passed a mere inch from his face. He scrambled to his feet, bent over from the strike to his shell. Don grabbed his arm and yanked him closer.

The ninja who had been about to strike Raph down turned around to slash at who had yanked him back but swiftly stopped himself and stepped away in shock.

Karai stood in her usual battle attire with her green gaze narrowed. She back-handed the ninja. "You were to bring them to me alive, fool. Get out of my way and subdue the others. Raphael is mine." She snapped. The ninja leapt out of her way and Don stepped in front of Raph, raising his hands and ready to defend his injured brother. He was unarmed, tired, and knew he was no match for Karai. Raph had been right about her, she was more than capable of killing them.

She seemed to know this too as she eyed him with a dangerous glint in her eyes. She unsheathed a katana and slowly approached while her ninjas hung back. Mikey was nowhere to be seen. "You are a fool to think that you can defeat me without a weapon, Donatello." She said sharply.

Don swallowed and stood his ground. Raph was hurt and he needed help. Don would not leave him to fight Karai in his weakened state. Weapon or not, Don could not abandon his older brother to Karai's merciless fury.

A blur of orange and green came between her and Don swiftly. Mikey brought his right hand nunchuck down on Karai only for her to duck the attack and step back. Her green gaze captured his furious expression. Mikey wanted to hurt her. He wanted to kill her. She broke his family apart.

He surged forward at her.

Don ducked under a swinging bo staff before kicking his leg out and sweeping the ninja off his feet. He rose to both feet and side-stepped a stabbing katana. He struck the back of the ninja's wrist, forcing him to drop the katana.

A calloused green hand wrapped around the hilt of the blade before it touched the ground. Don turned in surprise and spotted his brother standing on two feet with a blazing amber gaze. He swiftly slashed out at a trio of ninjas who had drawn close. Blood sprayed wildly as the blade tore through their chest cavities. He held the katana tightly in his right hand and lifted the blade to block an incoming strike from a naginata. The ninja's naginata struck the blade with a clang and Raph's left fist smashed into his cheekbone with a crack and the ninja hit the ground.

Don stepped back, avoiding a katana slash, before grabbing the ninja's outstretched arm and rolling onto his shell where he used his momentum to throw the ninja. He turned to his older brother who was slashing aggressively at the ninjas near him. "Raph, you can't be fighting with that injury!"

He shot Don a glare. "Ain't got much of a freakin' choice, now do I, smart ass?" He snapped back before stabbing the blade into the face of another ninja with a spray of brain, blood, and bone. He jerked the blade free of the ninja's skull.

Don released a frustrated breath of air before turning back to the ninjas.

The chain of Mikey's right hand nunchucks wrapped around Karai's upraised left wrist and he jerked her forward as he brought down the nunchucks in his left hand. She twisted in his grip, moving swiftly behind him. He gave a short grunt of pain as he barely spun around in time to avoid her breaking his wrist by pulling the chain of his nunchuck with the unexpected move. He leaned out-of-the-way of a stab from her katana blade and ducked down as he yanked on the nunchuck still wrapped around her wrist. He pulled it over his head and dragged her along with it, forcing her to leap over his shell or tumble to the ground. She chose to leap and kicked him as she did so. The heel of her foot struck his side before she twisted and landed on both beet. He grunted and brought his other nunchuck to strike at her back as he rose to his feet.

Her katana whipped out and cleaved through the chain of his left hand nunchuck. She swiftly disentangled from the chain around her wrist as he leapt back to avoid the katana strike that had broken his left hand nunchuck. He hurled his broken nunchuck at her, only for her to bat it aside with her katana blade. She smirked darkly. "You cannot hope to defeat me with weapons such as those. Give up now, Michelangelo, and I will spare your life long enough to see your traitorous brother one last time." She spat out bitterly.

Mikey's one nunchuck spun in his right hand and his blue gaze glared her down, dripping with animosity. "Like shell, I will! You took everything from us!" He shouted back at her.

"Not everything, yet." She replied before hurling shuriken at him and sprinting forward. Mikey struck aside the projectiles with his nunchuck and rushed to meet her. He lifted his nunchuck up in both hands as his left leg extended forward and bent at the knee, stretching the chain taut as Karai's katana came down. The chain snapped and Karai's katana scored a deep cut down Mikey's plastron. Blood spurted from the wound and he cried out in pain. He stumbled back and dropped his nunchuck. He pressed both hands to the wound, attempting to stifle the flow of blood.

A blue mask. Soft hazel eyes. His brother's smile and promise.

_"I don't regret giving you my heart, Mikey. I never will. Keep it safe, you don't get many second chances in this world."_

A harsh glare from that all that remained of one soft hazel eye. _"It's all you've got left, now. Don't waste it, Mikey."_

Mikey released a soundless gasp and struggled to keep his blood inside of him as he pressed his hands tightly to the profusely bleeding wound. "No. No. No!" He cried, his voice escalating with each word, his blue gaze fixated upon the wound.

Karai approached with a smirk. "Perhaps if you were dead, your brother might return sooner. He seems to have a sense for when you are in mortal danger." She pondered aloud as she lifted the blade above Mikey's head. She brought it down only for another katana blade to stop it with a clang. Her gaze narrowed as Raph gritted his teeth and shoved her back.

He moved in front of Mikey and leveled the katana in front of his body as he stood before his baby brother protectively.

Raph glared her down. "Don't ya dare threaten him! You ain't got the right to do anything t'us, bitch. Leave my family the hell alone." He snarled as he sprinted forward, both hands wrapped around the hilt of his commandeered katana. Karai leaned back, avoiding a slash and side-stepped to avoid another. The blade of her katana glimmered like a shard of pure moonlight as it flashed out and cleanly sliced Raph's katana in two. Raph tightened his grip on the broken katana and surged forward with blazing amber eyes.

She slashed downwards and he raised his left forearm, hitting the bottom of her extended right forearm and stopping her slash from cutting him in two. He snarled as the broken katana in his right hand shot at her face. She leaned aside and the broken blade sliced through her left cheek, drawing a line of blood. She gasped and drove her left elbow into his throat. He dropped the broken katana and instinctively clutched his throat with his right hand. Her katana whipped out swiftly and cleanly slashed his left abdomen open. He stumbled back and pressed both hands to the wound with a grimace. It was deep and definitely life threatening. He knew it would cost him if he didn't finish this soon or get as far away as possible. He dropped to one knee and breathed in. His amber gaze caught on the red hilt of one of his sai and he snorted in irony. His right hand wrapped around the blade as he rose to his feet.

His amber gaze glanced back at his brothers. Don was struggling to defend Mikey from several gray clad ninjas. His brown gaze met Raph's. Raph noticed the fear and worry in his eyes and offered him a soft smile of encouragement.

Don seemed frozen by that smile. "Don't get yer' shell in a knot, Donnie. I got her on the ropes; this is just a scratch, bro." He reassured with a small grin before turning to face Karai.

Her green gaze blazed furiously as her blade came across in a horizontal slash at his face. A hand roughly shoved him back and the blade tore through the left side of Raph's face, spraying blood and sending his red mask flying from his face. It fell slowly, a slash through the left eye hole. Raph fell on his shell and clutched the tattered side of his face. He gasped and grunted in pain as blood flowed down his face, coupled with the blood that pulsated from his abdomen. The crimson fluid was spattered across his face in mock imitation of the mask that usually rested over his eyes.

There was a clang as Karai's katana was abruptly halted.

All movement froze and fighting stopped. All eyes stared at the dark figure that had caught Karai's katana in his left hand. He stood across from her, holding the blade out at arm's length while her green gaze widened in shock.

A trench coat, black as night, fluttered in the breeze from the sea while it covered most of the shadowy figure's form. A pale hazel eye burned on the figure's face.

Raph rose to one elbow, still clutching the left side of his face and stared at his defender standing with one blue hilted katana strapped over his trench coat and resting in its sheath on his back. His blue mask fluttered gently with the breeze.

Complete silence had overtaken the shipping yard. Everyone stared at the newcomer, even the ninjas.

"So the traitor appears. Face my wrath, Leonardo!" Karai's voice snarled as she tore the blade out of his hand and swung it at his head. He leaned back, letting the blade whistle by his bare throat. He straightened and turned his hazel eye on Don, the only unwounded brother.

"Get them the hell out of here, now." He ordered in a harsh and rasping voice. Don stared and nodded as he helped Mikey to his feet and approached Raph. His brothers were shaking and bloodied.

"Foot ninja, bring me Leonardo!" Karai ordered sharply as she moved back. "And don't hold back. Let him know pain."

Michelangelo's blue gaze was fixated on his eldest brother, unable to believe the sight before him.

Leo bent low and retrieved a weighted chain that had fallen from the grasp of one ninja. He spun it swiftly, gaining momentum. The multitude of ninjas present surged toward the blue masked ninja. Leonardo twisted aside as shuriken flew at him.

"Donatello." He said over the din. Don glanced up and ducked, dragging Mikey down with him. Leo dropped to one knee and hurled the chain out in a powerful swing parallel to the ground, loosening his grip and allowing it to sail out at its full length of forty feet.

The ninjas' cried out and tried to move back as the weighted chain came their way, but they were too slow. The sounds of cracking bones and rupturing internal organs filled the night and echoed off the buildings around them. Leo released the chain and sprinted at his remaining opponents: seven of the gray clad ninjas, the Legionnaires of the Foot clan. He dropped in a slide and swung his legs out, sweeping two of the ninjas off their feet. He used the momentum of his sweep to rise to his feet.

He ducked under a punch and grabbed the wrist of his attacker before using the ninja's momentum to throw him over his shoulder. Leo leaned aside as a katana sliced the air where he had stood. He raised his right hand and stopped another blade from taking his head with the flat of his hand. He wrapped his fingers around the blade and yanked it, pulling the ninja forward into his outstretched open hand.

The ninja screamed as the shuko blades on Leo's palm tore through his face. He fell on the ground, clutching the pieces of his tattered face. Leo grabbed the katana by its blade in both hands and jabbed the hilt into another ninja's sternum with a cracking sound. Leo spun around the ninja with a swift movement of his feet and his elbow struck the side of the ninja's skull. The ninja dropped to the ground without a sound. Leo dropped the katana on the ground as he faced the remaining five, three of which were stunned and winded.

He charged at them and they scattered before him, just as he knew they would. He completed a back hand-spring, avoiding the sweep of a katana and twisting in mid-air, and landed on both feet facing his opponents. He sprinted forward and, with a flick of his wrists, sent shuriken flying into two of the closer ninja's faces. They clutched at their faces and drew away from the fight. Leonardo's hands whipped out swiftly as he passed them by, dropping to slide through between one of the gray clad ninja's legs. His hands clamped on the same ninja's calves, digging the shuko spikes into his opponent's legs.

The other two ninjas were clutching at their ruined faces, torn by the same shuko spikes. The still standing ninja cried out in pain and Leo dragged him down to the floor. He tore the spikes out of the ninja's legs and stood up. He calmly raised a foot and stomped hard on the back of the ninja's neck with a crack.

He turned to Karai who had gone paler and stared at him in shock. His hazel eye captured her figure. A black clad ninja at her side was also staring at Leo, equally as shocked as Karai.

Her green gaze narrowed and she strode forward before halting a few yards away from Leonardo. She lifted her katana in both hands, pointing the blade at him as she readied her stance.

Leo remained still, although his gaze turned to the figures of his brothers who were assisting Raphael. Don had wrapped Mikey's wound as best he could with the torn clothes from a few Foot ninjas and Mikey was now on his feet, helping. Don and Mikey helped their brother to his feet and were already rushing out of the battlefield. Mikey shot Leo a glance as he helped carry Raph's weight. Leo's gaze turned back to Karai and he stepped aside as her katana came down where he had stood a moment ago. Leo ducked as her blade twisted and shot across horizontally. He spun on one knee and his leg swept out to take Karai off her feet.

She leapt over the sweep and kicked a leg out at him. Leo rolled to the right and rose to both feet, avoiding her kick. Karai turned to face him, bringing her katana down at the same time. Leo twisted out-of-the-way but saw a flash of steel as her second blade, a wakizashi, whipped out at him.

The clanging of steel on steel echoed in the shipping yard. Leo's katana had stopped the wakizashi before it could chance cutting his throat open. Leo turned his blade flat on the edge of the wakizashi and steel squealed on steel as his blade scraped down hers. The crossguard of her wakizashi snapped off with a crack and she leapt back before his katana could slice her hand open.

Karai tossed her katana back to the same black clad ninja who had stood by her side earlier before wrapping both hands around the hilt of her wakizashi. She leveled the blade parallel to the ground, pointing it at Leo. The blue masked ninja stood still, with his katana hanging loosely in his right hand at his side. His one hazel eye was fixated on her. It was narrowed to a slit and burned with anger and contempt. Karai stared. Never had she seen so much anger in him before, not even when she had held Raphael captive and tortured him.

She shook her head and quickly cooled. Her lips curled into a sadistic smirk.

"I took down both of your brothers with ease. I will do the same to you and then I will slay Donatello and finish Raphael and Michelangelo. There is nothing that you can do to stop me now, Leonardo. You failed your family." She said with a dark look to her green gaze.

Leo's hazel eye did not stray and the usual guilt that would have shadowed him after a comment like that didn't show. Karai's eyes widened in shock. She'd been counting on his guilt to hold sway over him but it seemed to wash over him like nothing. Her gaze narrowed. Maybe she could use his anger against him, which seemed in abundance.

Leo's stance shifted and his head lowered, not in submission but in preparation and observation. His katana gleamed in the dim light. He sprinted forward, blade drifting behind him, gripped loosely in his right hand. Karai widened her stance and braced herself. The black clad ninja stood still behind her, but he was tensed like a trap ready to spring.

Leonardo swung his katana in a wide arc and struck her blade with enough power to nearly throw it out of her grasp. She barely held her wakizashi and she struggled against the immense strength pushing down on her blade. She slowly sank to one knee under his weight and felt something familiar and odd all the same rise in her stomach: fear. She had forgotten the last time her and Leonardo had fought. She had forgotten the fear that he had instilled and it was strongly reminding her just why he had been so terrifying before.

Karai ducked aside in a roll and rose to both of her feet with a gasp of breath. Leo slowly straightened and turned back to her. She held her blade lifted up and Leo's hazel eye trailed down its edge. Karai followed his gaze and noticed that her fear was making her hands shake along with her blade. Her eyes lifted just in time to spot Leo's blade stab at her face. She stepped aside, smacking at his blade with her own. Her back met his shell for a moment before she twisted to strike at his exposed backside. His free hand whipped out and caught the blade in clenched fingers. He spun around and his hazel eye met her green ones. He wrested the sword from her grasp and tossed it aside with a clang.

Karai took a step back as he took one forward. The threatening curve of his katana glinted in the dim light as it rose.

"Nowhere to hide. Nowhere to survive this time." His harsh voice spoke as he leaned in, his hot breath ghosting over her facial features. Karai stiffened and he lifted his blade to strike.

He spun aside, narrowly avoiding the swing of another katana. He faced the black clad ninja, his hazel gaze turned from the ninja to Karai. He straightened, dropping his hands at his sides. He raised his katana over his head and slid it back into its sheath.

"Another time, then." He hissed before turning and walking away casually, as if daring her or her ninja to attack him.

Karai stared at his retreating backside and turned to her ninja who, in turn, glanced at her before turning back to Leonardo. "Owari." She began.

"I watched carefully, Mistress. I will need time and supplies if you still wish for me to complete the task."

"It is done." She replied.

"We may still be able to retrieve the necessary items for Dr. Stockman, as well, Mistress."

"Order one of the Legionnaires to complete the retrieval, but you will be returning with me."

"As you command, my Mistress."

~.~.~.~

Don sighed in relief as he finished properly wrapping the wound in Raph's side. His older brother glanced at him from his place lying flat on the day bed. Gauze was wrapped over the left side of his face, covering his eye and cheek. His one visible amber eye stared past Don at their youngest brother. Mikey stood with his shell to the wall, his pet mouse sat on the counter, munching on a nut and wrinkling its nose every so often. Mikey's head was bowed and his brows furrowed in thought. Most of his chest and abdomen were wrapped tightly.

"Mikey." Don said softly. Mikey's blue gaze lifted to meet theirs.

"Was that really Leo? Who saved us?" Mikey asked.

Don glanced at Raph whose amber eye met his brown gaze. "Yeah. That was definitely Leo." Don answered.

"Just like him to swoop down and save our asses." Raph muttered.

"Do you think he'll come back? I hope he comes back. I really missed him. I have so much to tell him." Mikey sputtered nervously.

Raph sighed and moved to sit up. Don blanched and glared him down. "Don't move an inch! You lost a lot of blood!"

Raph shook him off. "Bah! I've been worse."

The sound of a door opening caused the three brothers to turn. Mikey glanced at them. "Do you think it's really him?"

"Only one way to find out." Raph answered as he stood up, swaying slightly, despite Don's protests. The three turtles moved out of the lab, however, as their curiosity piqued them. Even Don didn't say much as Raph moved ahead of them.

The lights were on in the main room, where Leonardo, wearing his black trench coat, strode towards them at a steady pace. They watched, apparently too shocked by his being there than anything else.

Leo's hazel eye still possessed the same cold detachment, but there was something else odd about him at that moment. Don studied his brother's movements carefully.

Leo passed by the couch and paused. He glanced about the lair and nodded almost sleepily before turning to his brothers. His hazel eye seemed judging and cold. He opened his mouth to say something but instead stumbled forward on his face. He remained still. The three brothers stared in horror.

"Don, what the shell," Raph snarled as Don and Mikey shot forward by Leo's side.

"Raph, hush." Don interjected swiftly as Raph hobble over to them. Don turned Leo over and checked his pulse and breathing. He leaned in over his brother, his face inches from Leo's. He had to admit that Leo had never looked as relaxed as he did then. His eye was closed and relaxed as his brow was calm and his mouth slack. Leo breathed out in his face and Don cringed before slowly rising to his feet. Mikey glanced up at him expectantly, still kneeling by Leo's side while Raph watched him carefully.

"Well, the good news is that he's fine." Don said.

"Yeah, then why'd he pass out on the floor like that?" Raph spat back.

Don glanced at his unconscious brother and back to Raph and then to Mikey. He sighed and glanced back at Raph. "Well, from what I can tell, Leo's been… drinking… a lot."

"Drinking?" Mikey echoed.

"Like booze?" Raph asked.

Don nodded.

Raph ran a hand over his head. "Shit, he was fighting Karai drunk off his ass."


End file.
